The opposition’s spokesman for foreign affairs, Leo Brincat yesterday held a press conference, demanding that the government and the Foreign Affairs Ministry answer a number of questions which he said had been stonewalled with silence.

Mr Brincat, flanked by MP and opposition whip Joe Mizzi, said that when taking over as Prime Minister, Lawrence Gonzi had promised a new style of politics which promoted transparency.

Mr Brincat said he had questions on seven issues which he felt were in the national interest. The first, he said, dealt with the dismantling of the radio station Voice of the Mediterranean. He said that the case itself did not surface under Foreign Minister Michael Frendo’s tenure, but he should be judged by the way in which he dealt with the case. He said that he had asked whether hi-tech equipment and furnishings had disappeared from the studies and if so, where had they gone? He said that various subcontractors were still owed money and that the public deserved an answer because the station was set up using public funds. Mr Brincat said the people deserved an answer to this question.

The second issue was related to Dr Frendo’s recent visit to Libya where he passed on a formal letter from President Eddie Fenech Adami to Libyan leader Muammar Ghaddafi. Mr Brincat said there was nothing wrong with that, and added that the MLP was in favour of strengthening ties with Libya.

However, he said that Dr Frendo discussed the actual content of the letter with Colonel Ghaddafi, which included joint oil exploration and irregular migration. Mr Brincat said that if the government intervened (as he argued was the case with Dr Frendo taking up the lead), then the information of what was discussed should be made public as, again, the issues were in the national interest.

Mr Brincat also referred to the recent presentation of credentials by the new Maltese ambassador to the US, Mark Miceli Farrugia. He said that the ambassador made a written statement, tackling issues such as Malta’s commitment to see the eradication of weapons of mass destruction and the war on terror.

Mr Brincat said the MLP, again, was in favour of strengthening ties with the US, but said that other issues should have been discussed, such as the visa waiver programme and the issue of double taxation. He said that when he highlighted this, the DOI issued a terse statement merely indicating that they had actually been discussed and nothing more. He said that the DOI should have published the whole written statement, and he labelled this as more lack of transparency.

He also cited Dr Frendo’s bid to drum up support for taking over as Commonwealth Secretary General. He made no bones of the fact that the MLP supported his bid as they believed he was good for the post and that it would bring prestige for Malta as a whole.

He also said that the MLP had no qualms with the fact that public funds were being used to push this same bid. However, he called for more transparency, asking Dr Frendo to tell the nation which countries he has visited and whether he only pushed his candidacy during these visits or whether he also pushed for better bilateral relations.

Mr Brincat also questioned whether there were large cost overruns in the Dar Malta project in Brussels. “I have been asking the same questions over and over again, yet five months later I am still in the dark,” he said.

The sixth issue was that of the setting up of the Mediterranean Economic Forum. He said he had received feedback in the sense that there was not much support for this initiative and asked for a clarification from the Foreign Office.

The last issue was about the former ambassador to Dublin, Richard Muscat. He reiterated a question he has put repeatedly: “Was there anyone in the upper echelons of the administration, from the President down, who knew of the case which led to his resignation before it surfaced in the Irish media?”

He also asked: “Is it possible that some pressure was exerted on the Foreign Minister to confirm Mr Muscat’s reappointment when already he had a replacement in mind?”

“And why, I ask, did the case only surface on his re-appointment, 10 months after the alleged case had occurred?” Mr Brincat said he also obtained information that Mr Muscat had had a meeting at San Anton Palace weeks before the whole issue came to light.

He called on the government and the Foreign Ministry, which he labelled the “Ministry of Silence”, to answer his questions. He also said that the government asked for consensus on issues of foreign policy. “But it takes two to tango. We need to be kept in the loop,” he said. He also asked whether the government would put its money where its mouth was and stick to the issue of consensus in the field when a Labour government is elected to power.