Balearic Galicia help centre

The Balearic government announced yesterday that it is setting up a centre to co-ordinate all the help the region is providing Galicia. In the wake of a meeting called by Prime Minister Aznar in Madrid to discuss how the whole country can best help Galicia cope with the Prestige disaster, the Balearic government has decided to set up a help centre which will co-ordinate all the public and private institutions, social and ecological groups which want to help the people of Galicia. Tomorrow, (Monday) emergency talks are to be held in Palma to start co-ordinating the aid effort as quickly as possible. Also tomorrow, 170 volunteers will set off from Palma on a five-day mission to help clean the beaches on north west Spain. A team of 20 Balearic Civil Protection engineers are also on their way to the disaster zone. Balearic Interior Minister, Josep Maria Costa, said that the Madrid meeting proved extremely positive with all parties involved agreeing to co-operate. He also praised the private initiative of chartering the Futura flight for the 170 volunteers. Balearic President Antich said it is time that Spain's “catastrophe laws are revised so this never happens again.”