Libya has taken great strides in trying to shed its reputation as being a state that sponsors terrorism, so much so that it has been removed from the terror list by the United States.

On a governmental level, there has been much improvement in the country’s handling of international affairs and politics, although there is still much to be done on the irregular migration and human rights abuse fronts.

Libya has rejoined the international community and is now working hard to reintegrate itself and to be a voice of moderation in North Africa and the Muslim world. There are of course still pending issues, such as the way Libya treated the case of the Bulgarian medics, but by and large, Libya is not the villain that it was in the 1980s.

So this brings us to the issue which is of concern. The Libyan government is trying to hammer out a deal to construct a nuclear power plant on its coast in an attempt to produce potable water, similar to our reverse osmosis water production system (but more on that later). The deal is far from sealed, but let us look at the potential of such a deal going through.

Libya has been disarming for a number of years now, and one does not really hold any doubts over their intentions, but there can be no doubt of what a nuclear plant is exactly – it is a hazard. One only has to look at what happened in Japan just a few weeks ago to realise that a nuclear plant is a clear and present danger.

Of course, Malta cannot, and should not try to tell another state what to do within its own borders, but some form of action needs to be taken to emphasise the danger issue. “What action?” you might ask. At the very least, Malta should seek assurances from both the providers of the plant and the operators (whether they are Libyan or French) that the plant will be run according to stringent nuclear regulations. As we have mentioned, there was a leak from a Japanese plant some weeks ago after an earthquake struck near to where the plant was situated. Radioactive material seeped into the sea and this resulted in contamination. As we have mentioned time and time again in our editorials, Malta has a tendency of thinking “it will never happen to us.” But we need to snap out of that frame of mind, especially with issues such as these, that could pose very large risks to our society.

There have been rumblings by various experts in the field who have said that a nuclear plant will pose a danger to Malta, so we are not just talking rubbish here. While all this is still in the negotiation phase, Malta’s government needs to stay involved, and yes, poke its nose in. The citizens of Malta and Gozo should, in fact, demand it and demand to be told what assurances they get from Libya on the issue. We must point out that this is not an issue simply because it is Libya; it could have been any North African state, or our good friends the Sicilians for that matter. So, what can the government do then? Well, one suggestion is to offer the Libyans our expertise in turning sea water into drinking water. We were one of the first to do it and over the years, we have refined the process further. Perhaps if we provide them with knowledge in that regard, it could be a bargaining tool to use in this whole issue.