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Karl Schembri
They discussed illegal immigration “holistically” without identifying the places of origin of irregular immigrants. They discussed strengthening social welfare as way of eliminating breeding grounds of extremism without discussing their dictatorships and abysmal human rights records that are probably breeding just as much fundamentalism and terrorism.
That’s 5 + 5 for you – the latest meeting of foreign ministers from five European Mediterranean democracies with the five southern Mediterranean neighbours held in Malta last week.
Malta and Libya presented a so-called “non-paper” on illegal immigration just as Home Affairs Minister Tonio Borg started to realise he has a problem on the doorstep, with millions of Africans ready to leave Libyan shores to cross to the European mainland.
I could not help asking Foreign Minister Michael Frendo whether they called it a non-paper because it was a non-starter. He took the joke.
But illegal immigration is no joke. The European Union’s funds are only EUR 1 million to be divided between Italy, Libya and Malta, “a token of solidarity” according to Frendo, “and we need much more of them”.
Meanwhile Frendo did not find time to try and get an idea of Libya’s mysterious fishing conservation zone coordinates from his counterpart, Abdurrahman Shalgam.
“It was not the place to discuss it,” he said, even though he had bilateral meetings with the foreign ministers.
Frendo also discussed promoting cultural tourism as way of promoting economic growth in the region and creating what he called “an alliance of civilisations” – the clear antidote of the shockingly fashionable clash of civilisations so dear to the American world establishment. The problem there is translating that “alliance” and the nice ideas exchanged among the political elite over dinner into a popular reality.
“The nature of the 5 + 5 dialogue shouldn’t be underrated or overrated,” Frendo told reporters at the close of the meeting last Thursday – concluded exactly on time according to schedule.
“Of course we have different perspectives, we come from different cultures, but we also share a lot in common,” he said. “These are moments of coming together and we need more of these moments.”
Definitely. Only that one leaves these meetings quite unsure what this five plus five is really equal to.
karl@newsworksltd.com
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