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Mnajdra grant redirected elsewhere

Martha Flach, Manager of New Media and Public Affairs of the World Monuments Fund, yesterday confirmed that Malta had lost $50,000 allocated to the stabilisation and conservation of the Mnajdra temples because it failed to submit a comprehensive plan.

The funds, which were set aside for the project in 1998, are now to be given to another project.

Although Ray Bondin, the chairman of the Maltese National Committee of the International Council of Monuments and Sites, has said he was aware that no proposal was put forward for the project, none of the authorities has so far admitted the grant was lost

Ms Flach told MaltaToday: "Unfortunately, we were unable to spend the $50,000 as our official contact, the National Museum of Archaeology, was apparently unable to produce an acceptable plan for the funds."

Explaining that the Fund had strict reporting requirements for grants, she said that in view of the National Museum of Archaeology's apparent inability to produce an acceptable plan for the funds, the WMF was looking into distributing the funds to another group.

"In light of recent events we are hoping to do so quickly," she stressed, adding that the WMF Director of Programs, Norma Barbacci, is working on the issue.

She added that the Fund was very concerned with the vandalism at Mnajdra and had been in contact with Michael Bartolo, the Maltese Ambassador to the UN and other concerned groups.

The Mnajdra Megalithic temples are listed as one of the WMF top 100 endangered sites.