Newly-formed group unhappy with Maltese foreign policy, advocates benefits of neutrality
The newly-formed Grupp Newtralita’ u Paċi on Wednesday emphasised several points benefits of neutrality as it expressed its dismay at the way the government is handling its foreign policy.The group, which includes former Prime Minister Alf
The newly-formed Grupp Newtralita’ u Paċi on Wednesday emphasised several points benefits of neutrality as it expressed its dismay at the way the government is handling its foreign policy.
The group, which includes former Prime Minister Alfred Sant, has presented a manifesto in which it insists that, among other things, Malta should never be part of wars taking place in other countries and that Malta should never be part of a European Union army or any other military alliance.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Sammy Meilaq said that the group has come together to promote neutrality during these difficult geopolitical circumstances, a time when there is a risk that Malta’s neutrality as enshrined in the Constitution could be breached.
Grupp Newtralita’ u Paċi was created to work in favour of neutrality by uniting all political forces in favour this concept, Meilaq said. He added that this group was formed as we are seeing circumstances where neutrality is being questioned, even publicly.
Announcing the manifesto, Meilaq said that it is by no means set in stone and open for discussion. He said that through this manifesto the group will attempt to open a dialogue with concerned institutions, both governmental and of the opposition, and other bodies that may be interested, and added that the group will work to gain as much support from the public as possible.
“We are not only claiming neutrality because it is in the constitution and should be in the constitution, but it is also good for peace,” Meilaq said. He said that logically, neutrality gives us security as we avoid entering conflicts.
From the legal aspect, Meilaq cited chapter 1 article 1 of the Hague Convention on neutrality, which states that the territory of neutral powers is non-violable, meaning that neutrality gives us security from a legal standpoint. Furthermore, the group claims that the security neutrality has already given us is “time proven” since it has been in place for a number of years and in all those years we never had any trouble with anyone.
Meilaq said that the foundation of the manifesto is that Malta should absolutely exclude itself from militarism including that of the EU and, furthermore, that Malta should not pay any expenses towards militarism.
The manifesto also states that Malta should not enter military alliances and makes it clear that Malta should not be part of a European army, Meilaq said.
Meilaq said that given the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, we won’t have any problems if Malta remains neutral. By picking a side, we will become targets. And so, when one takes Malta’s tourism industry into consideration, picking a side would be “madness”.
Meilak said that the group is not happy with Malta’s current foreign policy as followed by both sides of the House of Representatives, though government bears most responsibility due to its leadership. He said that this group is “needed” because the government has quietly allowed an American warship to enter the drydocks for repairs, which is “absolutely” against the Constitution.
Meilaq concluded in saying that their manifesto is open for discussion and indeed wishes to have a discussion with those who do not agree with neutrality. He said that whilst parliament is saying what doesn’t breach neutrality, it fails to outline the benefits of neutrality and ultimately it is “black or white, you are either neutral or not”.
When questioned by The Malta Independent on Mintoff’s original policy of how battleships, at the time emphasizing Italian battleships in particular, would not be allowed to dock in Malta and yet an Italian battleship docked in Malta yesterday, Meilak answered that for repairs, the constitution states that battleships of the U.S and Soviet Union are not allowed to enter for repairs without excluding others.
He did caution however, that if an Italian battleship is allowed, following the principle of neutrality, should a Chinese battleship request to dock it must also be allowed. “It’s best if you don’t let anyone in.”
Related
Share this page
Guest Posts by Easy Branches
