Malta should not form part of any Western coalition that could enter into a military confrontation against the Islamic State, former Prime Minister Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici said.

Speaking on Smash TV in the weekly programme of the Campaign for National Independence, which he heads, Dr Mifsud Bonnici said that Malta should keep out of any coalition so as not to be considered as an enemy of IS.

If the Islamic State wants to take over part of Iraq and Syria and run it as its own, who are we the Maltese to say that this should be or not be the case, he said.

We know that the Islamic State is gaining influence in north African states such as Egypt and Libya, and in the near future Malta could therefore be surrounded by countries whose leaders are either the Islamic State or inspired by the Islamic State.

If Malta becomes part of a coalition against the Islamic State then it would be considered as an enemy by the IS, Dr Mifsud Bonnici said.

 

It is therefore imperative that Malta adopts a neutral and non-aligned stand in the developments taking place, he said.