Citizenship: Busuttil says he is still open to agreement, but government insists opposition missed the opportunity

Opposition leader Simon Busuttil told members of the Civil Society Committee this evening that he was still open to the possibility of reaching an agreement on the contentious citizenship scheme. The government, however, appeared to close the door, saying hours of talks had been held and it had already heeded the views of social partners and amended the scheme. In the second in a series of three meetings with social partners, Dr Busuttil said a consensus could only be reached if the opposition's objections were addressed. He insisted that the opposition would be contesting the legal notice regulating the scheme by submitting a motion in parliament. Dr Busuttil told the members of the committee, which forms part of the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development, that the PN would continue to oppose the sale of citizenship on principle and and he reiterated concerns that this had damaged the island's international reputation. Henley and Partners, he said, had retained their exclusivity over the scheme. He explained that the money generated by the sale would not be directly handed over to the government but would first pass through the company. "What if they run off with the...