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Malta and Cyprus want their voices heard

By MaltaMedia News
Nov 5, 2006, 18:10 CET

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Speaker of the Maltese House of Representatives, Anton Tabone said during his official visit in Cyprus last week that Malta and South Cyprus, as Mediterranean countries, have a common ideal to follow and would like to take new initiatives to put the Mediterranean on the agenda of the European Union, The Cyprus Observer reported.

Speaking after a meeting with Greek Cypriot House of Representatives President, Demetris Christofias, Tabone confirmed that Malta has always abided by UN resolutions concerning Cyprus and congratulated Christofias on the initiatives he has taken.

The Hon Anton Tabone, Speaker of the House of Representatives was last week on an official visit to Cyprus which lasted until 1st November. Mr Speaker was invited to Cyprus by the Hon. Dimitris Christofias, Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus.

The Cyprus Observer added that Christofias said small EU states should be heard and that this was �an official visit of very good friends� and noted that Malta and the South are coordinating their moves as neighbouring Mediterranean countries as regards our efforts to promote the cooperation of Mediterranean EU member states and even broader with North Africa and the Middle East.�

�Beyond this, we are among the smallest EU member states, new members, and as you understand there is a great need to coordinate our efforts so that our voice will be heard within the EU, so that the large EU countries hear the voice of the smaller ones, and in this direction we have discussed certain initiatives which could be taken so that we can coordinate ourselves better,� Christofias said.

He said they discussed, �the burden on smaller parliaments regarding the massive bulk of material being sent from Brussels and which when approved, if the Constitution is approved at some time, but even without the approval of the Constitution, at some point the parliaments will have more say both in the direction of the European Parliament and the Commission. So, mechanisms must be set up to assimilate as best we can this material and take positions. It is a huge problem for the small countries and we have exchanged views on this issue.�

Tabone thanked for PAM support. Tabone said he felt privileged to be in the country at the invitation of Christofias, noting that �there are many reasons why there should be more frequent visits and different dimensions between [South] Cyprus and Malta. We discussed this morning matters of common interest to both countries in the Mediterranean - small countries with small parliaments.�

He added that �we agreed that there should be formal meetings to set up a group of small parliaments, or relatively small parliaments in the EU to get together to put our positions clearly in front of the other member states and also the Commission, that as small parliaments we have to deliver as much as larger parliaments in the same timeframe as the larger parliaments have to deliver themselves.� Tapone noted that Malta and the South are both Mediterranean countries and we have an extra common ideal to follow, and we would like, as we discussed this morning, to take new initiatives to put the Mediterranean on the agenda of the EU, The Cyprus Observer added.

�We discussed that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM), which has been recently set up, could also form a new activity in the process of promoting the Mediterranean,�� he said, thanking Christofias for support to Malta to set up the Secretariat on its soil and hopefully this will be set up by next March, next year. He said that there is a meeting of the second assembly of the PAM in Malta next November and expressed hope to see Christofias there.