When the British tried to help

I refer to the correspondence regarding the opera house by Franco Masini. I believe that I may be the person to whom his letter refers. I did know Anthony Miceli Farrugia very well and I assisted him in raising the matter of rebuilding the opera house by making contact with certain interested parties in London.

I should explain that I was a member of the Friends of Malta in Europe Group which was set up in the Houses of Parliament in London and consisted of members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, company directors and various other parties interested in Malta. The purpose of the group was to assist Malta in the UK and Europe in any area which the Maltese would consider we could be helpful.

Mr Miceli Farrugia approached me for assistance in obtaining advice and possible funding for the opera house and as a result I arranged a meeting at the House of Commons to explore the matter. The meeting took place in June 1996 and was attended by a director of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, two UK architects' practices, Ove Arup and Partners international consultants and some City finance houses.

Mr Miceli Farrugia gave an impressive address to the gathering and it was agreed that funding would be sought from the EU Cultural Fund, Unesco, interested UK parties and the German ambassador.

It was also agreed that a senior partner from a UK architectural practice would visit Malta on a "no fee" basis to assess accurately the cost of rebuilding and to explore possibilities of funding the opera house by adapting the design to accommodate other facilities.

During a subsequent visit to Malta I did accompany Mr Miceli Farrugia to a meeting with the Cabinet secretary when the project was discussed.

We were later advised that alternative schemes were being studied in Malta which were preferred to that suggested by Mr Miceli Farrugia. As such, the matter was not pursued any further in London.

I trust the foregoing clarifies the position raised by Mr Masini.