Prime Minister Joseph Muscat this morning said that the government has already asked for the list of account holders of Swiss Bank accounts, as well as for a related list that was issued in 2010, which, he said, the previous government did not follow up.

Speaking on One Radio, following the publication of a story in The Malta Independent on Sunday regarding bank accounts held by two former Nationalist ministers, Ninu Zammit and Michael Falzon, Dr Muscat also appealed to the media to provide any information that they came across to allow for the authorities to investigate.

However, he added that the Swiss Leaks only concerned one bank in Switzerland, and that in any case, there were other countries in which money could be stashed away. He pledged that the government will chase hidden accounts everywhere, and not just in Switzerland.

On Libya, he said that while Malta should remain vigilant with respect to developments, there are no indications that the country faces any specific threat, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said this morning.

Speaking in a telephone interview on One Radio, Dr Muscat, who attended a meeting of socialist leaders in Madrid this evening, said that he was satisfied that Libya was finally on the agenda within the EU and the UN, pointing out that his French counterpart said that the situation in Libya was a danger to all of Europe.

He said that the request by Bernardino León, the UN Special Representative for Libya, for more time to seek a diplomatic solution which would bring together the internationally-recognised Tobruk government and the one operating from Tripoli should be respected, arguing that this would be ideal.

Dr Muscat noted that if a a national unity government is formed, an international intervention would still be required in Libya, where ISIS has established a presence, but said that in this case, the Libyans themselves would be asking for this assistance and specify the intervention they would seek.

But if a diplomatic solution is not found, he added, the international community could not stand idle.

The Prime Minister then noted that he had been asked whether the armed forces were in a higher state of preparedness than usual in light of any possible threats.

He said that what Malta was doing was taking precautions, but not because there was any indication that Malta was in danger.

"If we had such an indication, I would be the first to say so as the Prime Minister," Dr Muscat maintained.

Nevertheless, he added, the situation warranted vigilance.

The Prime Minister appealed to the media to be careful not to cause alarm, stating that this could hinder the country's economic performance. However, he added that if a threat presented itself, the government would immediately issue a warning irrespective of its impact on the economy.

Moving on to Greece, Dr Muscat said that it was positive that the country was no longer seeking a write-off of part of its debt, stating that Malta - which has forked out some €188 million in loans and guarantees - was insisting on this.

But he said that the agreement to extend Greece's bailout by four months was not a solution, but a postponement of the problem.

Dr Muscat said that the Maltese government was open to a degree of flexibility, but only if Greek stuck to its financial commitments.

"We understand that the Greeks voted against austerity, but we cannot be expected to shoulder the price of that election," he maintained.