Please allow me to correct your parliamentary report of my speech on foreign affairs (TMID, 7 November).

At no time did I state that visits to Japan were pencilled in for next year. Neither did I complain that the government had never briefed the opposition on such matters.

My main complaint was that when certain controversial proposals are made to the government, particularly on security-related issues, the government prefers to give foreign governments to understand that the opposition will be against them rather than being firm and forming a position of its own.

I do not expect the government to consult the opposition on its various travels abroad but only on those important issues that may affect our national security. Claims that EU membership had made Malta more expensive to Libyans were attributed in my speech to the Libyan Airways Manager in Malta and were not necessarily my own opinion.

I also cited former Foreign Minister Dalli who stated that we risk demolishing all the good work we have made with Libya under various administrations over the last three decades.

Leo Brincat

MLP spokesman on Foreign Affairs and IT