Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/537300
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 5 JULY 2015 News 3 TIM DIACONO FRONT Harsien ODZ (FHO) has called on the Prime Minister to pub- lish the Heads of Agreement it had signed with Jordanian construction firm Sadeen, before Parliament ris- es for the summer recess. The agreement relates to Sadeen being allowed to construct and run the private 'American University of Malta', originally proposed on land located outside the development zones at Zonqor Point in the limits of Marsaskala. "The agreement should be pub- lished before Parliament rises for the summer holidays, so as to en- able a transparent and open debate in Malta's highest political institu- tion," FHO spokesperson Reuben Zammit told a press conference outside parliament. "Otherwise, it will be clear that the government is intending to proceed with the development process on ODZ land in Zonqor in summer, thus avoiding parliamen- tary scrutiny. "A few days ago we organised Malta's biggest ever environmen- tal protest and we urged the gov- ernment to publish the agreement with Sadeen immediately. This appeal was also made by FHO on Xarabank, yet to date, we have only been told that the government will publish it when it deems fit to do so. This only raises suspicion that agreements are being made behind the people's back. This govern- ment was elected on the promise of transparency but is now signing deals under the table." Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said this week that the university campus will be split in two, with part of it being built in Marsas- kala and part of it elsewhere in the south. FHO spokesperson James Debo- no called on Muscat to explain whether the Zonqor development is still on the table. "We have no problem with the construction of a university in Marsaskala, so long as it isn't at Zonqor or any other place outside the development zones," he said. JURGEN BALZAN THE Zonqor and Munxar areas in Marsaskala should remain open areas and be enjoyed by the public. This statement was not issued by the Front Harsien ODZ who are objecting to the construction of a private university in Zonqor, but by the Marsaskala local council. Despite previously informing the department of local govern- ment that Zonqor and other open spaces "should be preserved in their current state," Marsaskala mayor Mario Calleja is now vocif- erously championing the project proposed by Jordanian construc- tion group, Sadeen. Last year, the department for lo- cal government sent a memo to all councils asking for information on public and open spaces and how these could be improved. On 7 January, 2015, Marsas- kala council secretary Josef Grech submitted the council's feedback in which it clearly stated that its only plans for Zonqor and nearby Munxar were for "central govern- ment to protect these zones." But in a filmed interview with blogger Wayne Flask, the mayor defended this U-turn by insisting that "MEPA has a right" to sanc- tion developments in ODZ areas. "We did not change direction, you must keep in mind that MEPA can change when it comes to health and educational projects." Calleja said that the council would have been guilty of per- forming a U-turn had it been in favour of the construction of vil- las, adding that the council would object to any other development in the area, including apartments and hotels which would encroach on the coast. Despite the council's demands to have Zonqor protected and kept in its current state, the coun- cil narrowly voted in favour of the proposed university project with Labour deputy mayor Desiree At- tard voting against. The mayor added that the Jor- danian developers had given him their word that no bars, restau- rants and nightclubs would be opened on campus and insisted that no further development would take place on what MEPA earmarked as a natural park in 2006. In the interview, Calleja insisted that he had no personal interest in the project and only favoured the project because of the private university's knock-on effect on the locality's business community and residents. This week, the Prime Minis- ter confirmed that the Jordanian private university – originally planned to cover 90,000 square metres – would be split between Zonqor and another yet unnamed site. However, Calleja said that the council "cannot propose any al- ternative sites" because of the project's magnitude but at the same time he expressed full con- fidence in Joseph Muscat's ability to reach a compromise. "I believe him (Muscat) because I believe in him and if he has said that he'll reach a compromise he'll do it and we'll have the university split in different areas." On 20 June, thousands marched in Valletta to voice opposition to the construction of the private university on virgin land and fur- ther loss of ODZ lands. The interview took place in the wake of the mayor's threats to sue the blogger after Wayne asked whether Calleja had a personal interest in the project, seeing that the mayor urged people to attend a counter-protest at Zonqor in support of the private university and the government. In the interview, Calleja ex- plained that though Muscat "al- lows people to protest freely" he had received a call from the Prime Minister to cancel the counter- protest. "He called me or sent me an email and told me that he disa- greed with it because he did not want to create further contro- versy," Calleja said, noting that the following day Muscat publicly said that the protest should be called off because it was not ap- propriate. Front Harsien ODZ wants Sadeen agreement before summer recess Marsaskala mayor defends U-turn on Zonqor protection Defends private university project despite council's insistence in January to protect Zonqor area Mayor Mario Calleja – confident in the PM's ability