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Matthew Vella
Malta’s Freeport is still an area of concern to US state department authorities over the potential movement of weapons of mass destruction and missile-related items through the port, where almost one-third of all international maritime traffic passes through.
In the latest US congressional budget justification for foreign operations, the US is proposing a USD470,000 spend on Malta in military training funds and assistance under the Nonproliferation, Antiterrorism, Demining and Related Programs (NADR) account.
The report has once again made mention of the presence of the Iranian state-owned shipping line, which made the Freeport its Mediterranean hub in 2004.
Foreign Minister Michael Frendo has told MaltaToday the matter is effectively dealt with by Malta Freeport and the authorities who operate the VACIS container scanner effectively, a system installed with US assistance.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has received no reports that the checks made at Malta Freeport, at any time, provide any indication in relation to weapons of mass destruction and dual-use material.”
Last year, a joint report by the US departments of state and defence described Malta Freeport as a “potentially serious weapons of mass destruction (WMD) transhipment threat.”
“The threat of WMD and dual-use material transhipment through the Maltese Freeport is potentially serious… Also, Malta is close to other states of interest (Libya and Algeria),” the annual report stated.
Earlier this week, Foreign Minister Michael Frendo told parliament that the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Line at the Malta Freeport had been “mentioned” in certain meetings with foreign officials, although he refrained from mentioning which countries these were.
Frendo said he informed officials that the IRISL ran a commercial activity and that the Maltese authorities were engaged in fighting any sort of abuse in the transportation of merchandise.
The VACIS scanner was one of the donations from the US government which is expected to be upgraded through a USD375,000 spend to assist the government in increasing its daily container inspection rate.
Described by the congressional report as having been “responsive” to requests related to the “Global War on Terrorism”, Malta has been the beneficiary of millions in funds from the USA and other equipment such as the VACIS scanner and the infamous PISCES system. Malta is the only EU member state to operate the information database for incoming passengers along with countries such as Iraq.
Not all American charity has been well received by the Armed Forces of Malta. Earlier this month, MaltaToday revealed how the AFM never switched on the message recording equipment at the Luqa Operations Room, installed to keep track of the orders and communication radioed to all army units. Donated by the US government more than five years ago, the sophisticated recording equipment, meant to keep a record of messages sent to and from central command, has never been put into operation.
And in 2005, two trucks donated by the US were found to have been old vehicles dating back from 1965 which were destined for the scrap yard, AFM officers told this newspaper.
Getting closer
All of Malta’s funding had been virtually suspended when Malta, a signatory of the International Criminal Court, did not sign the US’s article 98 agreement which absconds American soldiers from international prosecution.
For years, the US authorised millions for the Maltese army to beef up its security responses to threats to its border security. The joint reports claimed Malta “felt pressured not to sign such an agreement” for fearing of endangering its EU candidacy. Malta’s article 98 status is currently under review after the US embassy to Malta asked Washington to waiver the suspension of funds.
Malta’s bond with the US has since improved, with Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi meeting President George W Bush in a 35-minute long meeting at the White House, last October.
The island also accepted to install the US gift of the controversial Personal Identification Secure Comparison and Evaluation System (PISCES) – a USD1.5 million immigration tracking system installed at Malta’s major points of entry. Together with Malta, other so-called “willing nations” have joined the Terrorist Interdiction Programme’s network: Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Cambodia, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Yemen, and Uganda.
A US congressional report on Pakistani anti-terrorism cooperation claims PISCES is able to make “real-time comparisons of photographs and other personal details with the FBI database in order to track the movements of Islamic militants.”
mvella@mediatoday.com.mt
Links: maltatoday.com.mt/2005/10/09/t11.html
www.maltatoday.com.mt/2005/10/09/t1.html
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