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Matthew Vella and Karl Schembri
Undiplomatic is a mild way of putting it: an incendiary letter penned by Labour MEP John Attard Montalto is feared could undermine Maltese and European efforts to rope in Libya in the fight against irregular immigration.
Seen by MaltaToday, the letter is addressed to the Libyan ambassador to Malta Saad El Shlmani, to whom Attard Montalto gives “instructions” on how to deal with the European Parliamentary delegation, led by Nationalist MEP Simon Busuttil, ahead of their arrival in Tripoli last week.
It is unclear in what capacity Attard Montalto wrote the letter about his euro-parliament colleagues, ahead of their two-day fact-finding mission to Libya.
Devoid of diplomacy or any etiquette, Attard Montalto tells the ambassador, a PhD in international relations “there is a strong suspicion that Libya is not only closing a blind eye but encouraging irregular immigration to Europe.”
Driving the point further, Attard Montalto suggests “that Libya proposes joint maritime surveillance” with other countries.
Providing the ambassador with personal information on the eight MEPs visiting Libya, Attard Montalto warns El Shlmani that Green MEP Hélène Flautre was bound to “bring up the issue of human rights”, particularly on the controversial death sentence given to Bulgarian and Palestinian nurses deemed guilty of intentionally spreading AIDS among Libyan children.
“Regarding the issue of the Bulgarian and Palestinian medics the argument (made by Libya)… is not tenable. I am aware that the issue is still under judicial review but no one believes that the Libyan judiciary is independent of influence.”
The MEP verges on the offensive when he calls on the ambassador not to “continue with the conspiracy theory because it is ridiculous.”
Attard Montalto further suggests that “discussions do not include long winded introductions of the sufferings of the Libyan people in the last century,” and advises to “keep such references short and to the point.”
In what sounds as a last minute disclaimer, Attard Montalto tells the ambassador he “may consider this letter blunt but true friends should not resort to flattery, and be sincere.”
Contacted yesterday for his reaction, ambassador Saad El Shlmani declined to comment. Attempts to contact Attard Montalto, who is at present on a cruise around south-east Asia, proved futile.
Earlier in the letter, the MEP went into several details about how MEP Flautre “tried to become Head of the delegation but was not successful as we manoeuvred Busuttil who is Maltese.”
Ironically, Busuttil told The Times upon his arrival in Libya, that irregular immigration was as sensitive for Libya as for Malta and other southern EU countries. “We must tread surely but carefully on this issue and I will be reporting in detail to the European Parliament about what we find on the ground here,” he said.
Experts of the Arab world told MaltaToday the wording used by Attard Montalto was highly contentious and counter-productive.
“It is bad enough to suggest to any Arab that his arguments are ridiculous, but saying so to an ambassador is the ultimate,” a close observer of Middle Eastern affairs said. “Anyone with a minimum of understanding of Arabic culture knows how essential is the language used in any kind of conversation, let alone when dealing with such international sensitive issues that are still deeply divisive.”
Although not new to criticism from human rights organisations, Libya had held a warm relationship with Malta and has just started opening up to the EU and the rest of the international community in the last years since it announced it was dismantling its weapons of mass destruction.
mvella@mediatoday.com.mt
kschembri@mediatoday.com.mt
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