Malta seeks Libya help to stem migrant arrivals

Maltese Premier Joseph Muscat invited a senior Libyan official to talks with EU President Herman Van Rompuy on Thursday in a bid to get the North African nation's help in stemming the flow of migrant arrivals, dpa reported. Muscat coordinated a last-minute meeting with Libyan Deputy Prime Minister Sadiq Abdulkarim Abdulrahman during an official visit to Valletta by Van Rompuy. "We managed to break new ground in seeing a long-term solution which we concurred lies in the south. Libya is not part of the problem but must be part of the solution," the Maltese premier said. Van Rompuy said more surveillance, as well as ways to tackle "the root causes of migration such as poverty, conflict and trafficking," were discussed with Abdulrahman. "We have to deal with this problem in a humane and at the same time an effective way," he said. Muscat offered to host future talks between the EU and Libya.