Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1518324
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 31 MARCH 2024 6 INTERVIEW Carm Mifsud Bonnici: 'We seem to have resigned ourselves to the logic of war' CARMELO Mifsud Bonnici does not shy away from expressing reservations on the hawkish and militaristic drift pre- vailing in the European People's Party. A former home affairs minister in the Lawrence Gonzi administration and a proud Christian Democrat, he insists ne- gotiations with Russia are necessary. "Though difficult and complicated, ne- gotiations with Russia are the only way to avoid an escalation which could push the continent to the brink of a nuclear war," he tells me as we sit down for this inter- view inside parliament. Mifsud Bonnici argues it would be a mis- take if the EU and Malta do not use their voice for peace. "If we do not use our voice for peace... we would be saying that there is no alternative to total conflict on a Eu- ropean scale which will also involve us." He says the EPP's European election manifesto is rooted in the present reali- ty and premised on the idea that the EU should arm itself to be able to defend itself. But he adds people like him come from a generation that experienced the Cold War and the dangers it brought about because of the arms race. On the domestic political front, Mifsud Bonnici says a change of government is now a "national necessity". But he fears the PN is still losing pieces from its mo- saic, with the wounds of the 'internal civ- il war' which led to the dethronement of Adrian Delia, still not completely healed. Coming from a generation that remembers the Cold War, Nationalist MP Carm Mifsud Bonnici is uncomfortable with the prevailing winds in the EU that advocate for more defence spending. He sits down with JAMES DEBONO to talk about war, peace and the PN's internal troubles. Putin himself is a difficult person… But if we do not use our voice for peace, we would be committing a mistake as we would be saying that there is no alternative to total conflict on a European scale which will also involve us.