George Bush – a friend of Malta

President George Bush in Malta with Malta President Vincent Tabone

As we bid ‘so long’ to ex-President George H. W. Bush, known as Number 41, I recall the friendship he developed with the Maltese people when the Malta Summit took place 29 years ago, between December 2 and 3, 1989. Both George Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev met in Malta just one month after the fall of the Berlin Wall and signaled the end of Communism.
The leaders discussed the multiple changes taking place across Eastern Europe, Mr. Gorbachev’s perestroika plans and the lifting of the Iron Curtain, which had bitterly separated eastern and western Europe for the four decades following World War II.
At the close of talks, Mr. Gorbachev had remarked during a memorable press conference at the Malta Mediterranean Conference Centre, “The world is leaving one epoch and entering another. We are at the beginning of a long road to a lasting, peaceful era. The threat of force, mistrust, psychological and ideological struggle should all be things of the past.”
Replying, Mr.Bush had remarked from his podium placed alongside that of Mr.Gorbachev, “We can realize a lasting peace and transform the East-West relationship to one of enduring cooperation. That is the future that Chairman Gorbachev and I began right here in Malta.”

Malta stamp issued for the occasion

Unfortunately, a severe storm battered the island during that weekend, and the actual meeting took place on a ship, berthed in Marsaxlokk harbor. Both leaders were afraid of leaving their respective ships. The Soviet delegation used the missile cruiser Slava while the US delegation had their sleeping quarters aboard USS Belknap. Stormy weather and choppy seas resulted in some meetings being canceled or rescheduled and gave rise to the moniker the "Seasick Summit" among international media. The meetings ultimately took place aboard Maksim Gorkiy, another Soviet ship. A lavish dinner was also canceled, which was later enjoyed by the US sailors. The choice of Malta as a venue was the subject of considerable pre-summit haggling between the two superpowers. According to Condoleeza Rice, an unknown diplomat at the time:
"... it took a long time to get it arranged, finding a place, a place that would not be ceremonial, a place where you didn't have to do a lot of other bilaterals. And fortunately - or unfortunately - they chose Malta, which turned out to be a really horrible place to be in December. Although the Maltese were wonderful, the weather was really bad."

Malta coin minted for the 25th anniversary of the Malta Summit.

The choice of venue was also highly symbolic. The Maltese islands are strategically located at the geographic center of the Mediterranean Sea, where east meets west and north meets south. Consequently, Malta has a long history of domination by foreign powers. It served as a British naval base during the 19th and early 20th centuries and suffered massive destruction during World War II. Neutrality is entrenched in the Constitution of Malta, which provides as follows, at section 1(3): "Malta is a neutral state actively pursuing peace, security and social progress among all nations by adhering to a policy of non-alignment and refusing to participate in any military alliance."
Incidentally, on February 2, 1945, as the War in Europe drew to a close, Malta was the venue for the Malta Conference, an equally significant meeting between US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill prior to their Yalta meeting with Joseph Stalin. The Malta Summit of 1989 signaled a reversal of many of the decisions taken at the 1945 Yalta Conference.
My condolence to the Bush family. George Bush's wife Barbara died 8 months ago.