Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat held more talks in Libya yesterday and in a telephone interview on One Radio, he expressed his party’s total support for the possibility of the Maltese government reaching an agreement with the Libyan leaders regarding the possibility of the purchase of oil and gas from Libya under preferential conditions.

Dr Muscat left Malta for meetings in Libya on Saturday, following an invitation from the National Transitional Council. He is leading a delegation which also includes Karmenu Vella, Michael Farrugia, Noel Farrugia and Alex Sciberras Trigona.

In a statement, the PL said the talks are being held with a view to continue strengthening political and commercial relations between the two countries.

After meeting with Mustafa Abdul Jalil, the president of the transitional council, on Saturday, Dr Muscat visited Misrata yesterday, where he met with the leaders of the council, and discussed, among other things, ways of strengthening commercial ties.

It was a very cordial meeting, said the Labour Party, adding that the PL leader urged the Misrata leaders to provide all the help they can to the Maltese government’s delegation and the Maltese business people who will be visiting Misrata in a few days’ time.

On the possibility of the Maltese government reaching an agreement with the Libyan leaders regarding the possibility of the purchase of oil and gas from Libya under preferential conditions, Dr Muscat said such an agreement would be extremely beneficial to Malta and the Maltese people, so the PL wants to give a clear signal that it fully supports the talks between the two countries.

The president of the Libyan transitional council, on his part, expressed gratitude for the Maltese people’s assistance to the Libyans. He said he was aware of the Maltese population’s agreement in favour of such action, and reiterated that the Libyan government would be ready to work closely with whoever is given the mandate to govern in Malta in the coming years.

Yesterday, Dr Muscat and other members of the PL delegation also held talks with the leaders of the transitional council in Benghazi.

Soon after his arrival from Libya Dr Muscat addressed a press conference at the airport yesterday afternoon.. Reacting to what Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said about the PL’s visit to the North African country, Dr Muscat reiterated that the visit was aimed at strengthening relations between Malta and Libya.

Contrary to what Dr Gonzi insinuated, said Dr Muscat, the PL’s visit actually helped improve the country’s reputation.

He expressed his intention to appoint two ministers to deal with EU and foreign affairs separately should the PL be elected to government, as the foreign affairs minister would be able to focus specifically on the country’s relations with other Mediterranean countries. In this regard, he referred to the late President Emeritus Guido de Marco, saying that when he served as foreign minister, he gave a lot of importance to the Mediterranean region.