By Libya Herald staff.
Malta, 4 January 2015:
The Libya Dawn Salvation government . . .[restrict]based in Tripoli, supported by the GNC and Misrata-led militias, will not recognize Libyan visas issued by the Tobruk-based House of Representatives (HoR)/ Abdullah Thinni recognized embassy in Malta.
Malta currently has two Charge d’Affaires purporting to be the sole and official representatives of Libya. The Tobruk appointed Charges d’Affaires, former Minister Habib Lamin, is currently representing the HoR appointed government of Libya from the Libyan Consulate building in the Ta’Xbiex area of Malta.
The Libya Dawn Tripoli recognized Charge is still located in the official Libyan embassy building in Attard. He has refused to vacate the building nor hand it over to Habib Lamin.
Moreover, after protesting that the Maltese government was interfering in internal Libyan affairs, the Libya Dawn Charge d’Affaires today revealed that any Maltese obtaining Libyan visas from the ‘‘embassy’’ recognized by Tobruk would be refused entry to Tripoli’s Maetiga and Misrata airports – both controlled by the Libya Dawn faction.
Last Monday, a group of about 30 Libyans supporting the Tripoli-based Libya Dawn government, demonstrated peacefully in front of the Castille, the seat of the Maltese Prime Minister in Valletta on Monday against the Maltese government’s recognition of the Tobruk appointed charge d’affaires. They had also presented a letter in protest.
With two potential embassies representing Libya, the Maltese government finds itself in an awkward position as it seeks to maintain its very close links with Libya. Officially, Malta has followed the lead of the UN and EU in recognizing the Tobruk based HoR and its appointed government led by Prime Minister Abdullah Thinni based in Al-Beida as the sole representatives of the Libyan people. [/restrict]
