BRITISH PRIME MINISTER WRITES TO THE PRESIDENT OF MALTA

The British Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair, has written to the President of Malta, H.E. Prof. Guido de Marco on the occasion of the first Official Visit to the United Kingdom by a Maltese President.

A copy of Mr. Blair's letter follows.

10 DOWNING STREET

LONDON SW1A 2AA

THE PRIME MINISTER                                                                                                                     24 October 2000

I am delighted to welcome you on the first official visit to the United Kingdom by a Maltese President. The British and Maltese people retain a great deal of affection for one another, built on many years of working closely  together. Your visit is a testament to this warmth.

Dr Fenech Adami and I were in touch in advance of the Helsinki European Council a year ago and I was delighted that we were able to secure the right result for Malta and for the EU. Malta has made excellent progress in its negotiations towards EU membership since then, on which I congratulate you and your government. Challenges remain of course, but I hope that Malta will maintain its current rapid pace, and be among the first of the candidates to join the European Union. I understand from Keith Vaz that the UK/Malta EU action plan is progressing well. Please let me know if there is more we can do to help you with your negotiations.

His Excellency Professor Guido de Marco