Talks with the Maltese government about Valletta’s world heritage status were ongoing as Unesco was worried about “modern insertions” in the capital city, the UN agency’s assistant director general for culture, Francesco Bandarin, said yesterday.

Mr Bandarin is on an official visit to “strengthen the relationship between the very small but strategic island and Unesco”.

Concerns about the capital’s privileged status had been raised in a meeting of Unesco’s World Heritage Committee in Seville in 2009, when the government was asked to establish “clear policies” in relation to building height within the city and its environs.

The committee had also called for the establishment of a buffer zone around Valletta with building height controls to protect the “skyline configuration of the city” and asked the government to submit detailed information on the proposed large-scale developments for the city’s entrance in line with world heritage status guidelines.

Mr Bandarin insisted his visit was not a “watch mission” but said there had been a”cooperative process with the government” about the country’s obligations which had to be respected to ensure the heritage status was preserved.