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often describe as "mercurial"- served notice that his
government would no longer permit the nation to be
used as a military base by the big powers. He sent
the NATO commander packing, suspended visits
from the U.S. Mediterranean fleet, and raised the
rent for the Royal Navy's use of the dockyards.
Mr. Mintoff's price was more than Britain was
willing to pay, and so muttering under their breath
Dingli , a typical Maltese town with ancient and modern
buildings and carefully cultivated fields.
that "Malta wasn't really of strategic impor tance
anymore, anyway," the Navy made plans to go
home. The last British forces left Malta in 1979.
The pullout cost Malta dearly in reduced income
and loss of jobs. In a controversia( decision to reduce
the loss, Soviet ships were granted repai r and
refueling rights, and the links between Malta and
the Soviet Union grew stronger. The West feared
that Malta was in danger of becoming another Cuba.
The Maltese insisted that their facilities were only
available for Soviet merchant ships, and then only on
Maltese terms. Equally disquieting were Mr.
Mintoff's overtures to Libya's leader, Colonel
Muammar Kadafi. Libya, just 180 miles to tbe
south, is, after ltaly, Malta's closest neighbor. But a
serious ri ft in Mal tese- Libyan relations developed
over a dispute about access to the continental shelf
between the two countries for offshore drilling.
The Maltese are showing that they are afraid of
nobody, and will strongly resist being- ever
again- under any big power 's thumb.
But neither are they looking for trouble. They
want to be considered a strictly neutral, nonaligned
nation. They show a special interest in having the
whole Mediterranean area declared a "zone of
peace" (whatever that is supposed to mean in an age
of potential global destruction).
Because of its small size and scant resources,
Malta needs foreign trade and investment, but it
would rather be poor than beg. Until September
1983 the nation resisted joining the World Bank,
refusing to be classified as either a developed
or
a
44
developing nation. T he Bank needed another
category, they claimed, for nations who need an
occasional helping hand, but not a handout.
Malta, in short, is one of those little nations that
refuse to be insignificant. Mr. Mintoff, although the
ruler of only 320,000 people, . is not afraid to make
his presence felt on the world scene.
Not all Maltese agree with Mr. Mintoff, of
course. The voting population is almost evenly
divided between the Labor party who have ruled for
the last 14 years, and the opposition Nationalist
party. Rivalry between the two part ies is strong and
relations are at an aH-time Jow, following disputed
returns after the last election. Tempers fiare and boil
over from time to time, and so intense is the feeling
that sorne have even speculated that Malta could
become "another Lebanon."
But probably not. Whether Nationalist or
Socialist, they are all Maltese, witb a basic common
sense and stability. A Maltese friend reassured me,
"We may move right or left, but we won' t do
anyt hing too stupid."
The biggest threat to Maltese well-being today is
not whether they move to the Jeft or right
politically, but that they
can't
move geographically.
Whatever else Malta is-or does-it is still right in
the middle of one of the world's potential hot spots.
Malta is trying to keep out of trouble-steering a
strictly neutral course between East and West and
North and South, maintaining cordial but cautious
terms with as many as possible.
But what the Maltese need to know is that the
balance of power in this region is going to change
drastically.
It
will stagger the world and leave even
the most skillful politicians reeling. The frustrated
nations of the European Economic Community are
being forced by circumstances toward a political
union that will probably become the most formidable
military superstate the world has seen. The
prophecies of the Bible, a source of information on
current events that few people take seriously, reveal
that this union of nations will come into conflict
with Malta's southern neighbors in North Africa.
The latter will be part of a rival power bloc.
And Malta- inevitably- will be in the way. The
prophecies of the Bible therefore have sorne somber
news for the Maltese people.
But there is also
good
news. Jesus Christ has
promised to return in time to prevent the destruction
of all human life (Matt. 24:22). He will stop the
fina! human conflict before it is too late. Then, from
Jerusalem, he will rule the earth and teach all
nations how to live in peace
(I
sa. 2: 1-4). The
influence of his rule will spread across the earth as
the waters cover the ocean tloor (lsa. 11 :9). Malta
(fortunately, this time) will again be in the way as
the Mediterranean at last becomes a zone of peace.
And Malta will be defended once more by Faith,
Hope and Charity- not three battered, brave old
warplanes, but a way of life that will guarantee
happiness and prosperity for a thousand years.
- John Halford
The
PLAIN TRUTH