An agreement which enabled holders of Libyan diplomatic passports to come to Malta without a visa has been suspended as a precautionary measure, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat announced today.
Speaking during a political activity at the Labour Party in Ħamrun, Dr Muscat said that this decision was made after the government had been informed that a passport facility in the city of Sirte had been taken over by terrorists. The city is presently believed to be controlled by ISIS.
But the Prime Minister reiterated that while the authorities were being vigilant, there was no cause for alarm as there were no indications that the country was in any danger.
He dismissed claims that terrorists would come to Malta posing as asylum seekers, stating that if any terrorists wanted to arrive, they would likely travel from Europe - and face no checks - and not risk being detained on arrival.
Dr Muscat argued that Malta could play a role in bringing the warring factions in Libya together, noting that the internecine conflict in the 'enormous' territory has paved the way for terrorists to establish a foothold in Malta's southern neighbour.
He pledged that he would be the first to come forward if the situation changed and Malta faced any specific danger, but stressed that there was no such risk at present, and appealed to the Maltese to continue being optimistic about the future, citing a Eurobarometer survey which indicated that the country was among the most optimistic in the EU.
Fuel down 3c per litre
Dr Muscat also seized the opportunity to announce that diesel and petrol prices were set to go down by €0.03 per litre as from tomorrow, anticipating Enemalta's own announcement.
He said that this decrease was occurring while fuel prices in Europe were on an upward trend, and insisted that if the government followed the opposition's advice on fuel prices, it would have meant a temporary decrease followed by a steep hike, given rising oil prices.
The Prime Minister recalled that tomorrow's price decreases would mean that the price of petrol was reduced 8 times and that of diesel 6 times since his government came to power. Nevertheless, he insisted that households and businesses alike valued the ease of mind provided by stable prices over price reductions.
Dr Muscat argued that the energy sector had been completely abandoned by previous administrations, and insisted that were it not for Shanghai Electric's acquisition of a stake in Enemalta, the company would have failed and taken down at least one local bank with it.
He said that the decision to bring the Chinese state-owned company in saved Enemalta and put at rest the minds of thousands of company employees, as well as pensioners and other savers.
Government will learn from Café Premier experience
Commenting on the Café Premier bailout controversy, Dr Muscat put it down to a mistake of a new government that was still learning the ropes: negotiations had started just weeks after the present government was elected.
He also insisted that this may have been the result of the government's rush to address the problems it had inherited.
"We may have rushed like the hare... but this does not mean that the tortoise did well," Dr Muscat maintained.
The Prime Minister also argued that the difference between his government and its predecessor was that the latter believed that it was infallible.
On the other hand, he said, his own government was always willing to learn and improve.
Labour aiming for simple majority in local elections
Dr Muscat also said that in the coming local council elections, the Labour Party's aim was to obtain a majority - "small as it may be" - of votes.
He insisted that mid-term tests such as the coming elections were usually the most difficult for government, and reiterated that the loss of seats in a number of Labour-controlled councils meant that the party has lost six seats already.
During the event, the Prime Minister also took the opportunity to congratulate new Archbishop Charles Scicluna.
Whilst he emphasised that the government and the Catholic Church should remain separate, he augured that the two would continue working together as partners, praising the church's work in education, care for the elderly and care for children who cannot stay with their parents.