NEWS AGENCIES DISPATCH Malta PM says confident of pro-EU election win VALLETTA, March 22 (Reuters) - Maltese Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami said on Saturday he was confident the islands' voters would set the seal on joining the European Union by returning him to power in an April 12 general election. The polls are seen as the decisive test of whether the Mediterranean archipelago of barely 400,000 people will take its place as the smallest EU member. Opposition leader Alfred Sant says he will put the deal back on the drawing board if he wins. "I am sure the people understand the seriousness of the situation," Fenech Adami told a news conference. "My appeal to all the people...is not to allow Dr Sant to slam the door of EU membership in their faces. Indeed, I am confident a majority will vote for accession." The election is predicted to be close-run. An opinion poll in last week's Sunday Times of Malta showed Fenech Adami's ruling Nationalist Party ahead with 49 percent and Sant's Labour Party on 23.3 percent, but 23 percent did not declare their intentions. Fenech Adami called the polls soon after his government won referendum approval two weeks ago to join the EU. His "yes" campaign pulled in nearly 54 percent of valid votes cast. But Labour, which told its supporters to vote "no", spoil their ballot paper or boycott the poll, refused to recognise the result. It said the "yes" votes did not represent a majority of the total number of registered voters. Turnout in the referendum was 91 percent. The election is being held just four days before the former British colony is due to join nine other countries in signing the EU accession treaty, and Sant said on Friday he will not sign if Labour wins. Instead, Sant says his party would negotiate a new "partnership" with the EU, and then hold a fresh referendum asking voters to choose between partnership and accession. Fenech Adami called Labour's referendum offer "a gimmick". "It is well known that should Malta not sign the accession treaty on April 16 it would have lost its opportunity to join the EU," he said. (c) 2003 Reuters Limited Reuters News Time: 12:45 Date: 03/22