VZCZCXRO8920
PP RUEHAG RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHVT #0228/01 1541431
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 021431Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY VALLETTA
TO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1594
RUENAAA/SECNAV WASHDC PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 VALLETTA 000228 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/02/2018 
TAGS: ASEC EAID ECIN ECON EFIS EWWT MARR MAS MCAP
MOPS, PHSA, PINS, PREL, SENV, SMIG, SNAR, MT 
SUBJECT: MALTA'S REACTION TO GLOBAL MARITIME PARTNERSHIP 
(GMP) INITIATIVE 
 
REF: A. STATE 050488 
     ¶B. VALLETTA 00134 
 
Classified By: PolOff MCummings for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
¶1. (C)  Summary:  Ambassador briefed key Maltese military and 
civilian officials about GMP.  The Maltese expressed 
enthusiasm about the concept.  Several GMP-related areas of 
cooperation already exist, and the Maltese were eager to 
explore further areas.  Malta,s Foreign Minister said that 
at an upcoming EU Ministerial in Brent, France dedicated to 
maritime issues, Malta would push for regulation of shipping 
routes in the Mediterranean. End Summary 
 
Meetings at Armed Forces of Malta 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  On May 22 Ambassador met key officials at the Armed 
Forces of Malta (AFM) Headquarters to explain the Global 
Maritime Partnership (GMP) initiative. The Ambassador met 
with the AFM Commander (CHOD) Brigadier General Carmel 
Vassallo, AFM Deputy Commander Colonel Martin Xuereb, and 
Director of Defense Matters in the Office of the Prime 
Minister Vanessa Frazier (Comment-- Frazier has an American 
husband and daughter, and is known to be very pro-US. She is 
the sole GoM official, apart from the Prime Minister himself, 
who oversees defense issues. Although the CHOD hails from the 
left-of-center opposition Malta Labor Party (MLP), he is 
exceptionally pro-US as well, and attended the Chief of Naval 
Operations' presentation of the new Maritime Strategy "A 
Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower" on October 
17, 2007, at the Naval War College during the International 
Seapower Symposium. Col. Xuereb maintains strong support from 
the ruling Malta Nationalist Party and is likely to succeed 
Brigadier General Vassallo as CHOD at some point.) 
 
¶3.  (C) The Ambassador provided her interlocutors with an 
overview of GMP, and encouraged the GoM to embrace the GMP 
principles. Frazier and the CHOD responded enthusiastically 
to the vision and principles of the GMP, particularly with 
respect to ongoing activities such as Malta's recent entry 
into the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), and Malta's 
building niche reputation as a regional Search and Rescue 
(SAR) training expert through the U.S. European 
Command-funded SAR Training Center run by the AFM. Frazier 
specifically stated that Malta was always looking for ways to 
partner with the United States on maritime security issues 
and initiatives. The CHOD stated that regarding security, 
even small countries can bring something to the table. He was 
enthusiastic about Malta's participation in current U.S. 
Naval engagement initiatives such as the Maritime Safety and 
Security Information System (MSSIS), and SIXTH Fleet's recent 
OPERATION PHOENIX EXPRESS. The Ambassador agreed that the SAR 
Training Center was an excellent example of the kind of 
multilateral cooperation envisioned by GMP, with personnel 
from more than a dozen regional countries studying latest SAR 
techniques in Malta, many of them with USG financial support. 
 
Meeting with Foreign Minister 
----------------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) On May 30 Ambassador and DCM met Maltese Foreign 
Minister Tonio Borg to brief him on GMP.  Borg was likewise 
enthusiastic about the opportunity for expanded cooperation. 
In addition to the SARTC mentioned above, he told the 
Ambassador that he had another idea that might fall under the 
rubric of GMP.  Malta was concerned about the possibility of 
an oil spill ruining Malta,s coastline and tourism-based 
economy.  The fact that most oil tankers transiting the 
Mediterranean passed through the narrower channel north of 
Malta (between Malta and Sicily) rather than the wider 
channel south of Malta (between Malta and Libya/Tunisia) 
exacerbated the problem.  At an EU Ministerial in Brest, 
France July 12-13 at which a "Common EU Maritime Policy" 
would be discussed, Malta intended to push for EU regulation 
of Mediterranean shipping routes, with perhaps up to half of 
shipping being directed to the south of Malta. 
 
¶5.  (C) For background, see the following USDAO Valletta 
IIR's-- 
 
IIR 6 917 0096 08  121324Z May 08 (U) MULTINATIONAL 
IMPRESSIONS OF NAVAL FORCES EUROPE'S OPERATION PHOENIX 
EXPRESS 2008 
 
IIR 6 917 0026 08  221404Z Apr 08 (U) THE EVOLVING REGIONAL 
SECURITY POSTURE OF MALTA 
 
IIR 6 917 0076 08  201412Z Mar 08 (U) MALTA APPLIES TO REJOIN 
 
VALLETTA 00000228  002 OF 002 
 
 
NATO'S PARTNERSHIP FOR PEACE 
 
IIR 6 917 0016 05 (U) BIOGRAPHIC REPORT-MALTA, CARMEL 
((VASSALLO)), BRIGADIER GENERAL, COMMANDER, ARMED FORCES OF 
MALTA 
 
BORDONARO 
BORDONARO