Mayor apologises to the King for endless road works

by Irene Taylor
CATALINA Cirer apologised to King Juan Carlos for any inconvenience which the major road works being carried out in many parts of the city may cause him.
She revealed this to the Press after yesterday's audience with the King, during which they discussed various matters concerning the city.
Cirer said that she was both “proud and surprised” at the King's knowledge of city affairs.
She told the media that she had admitted to the King that the problems caused by the works affected residents and visitors, but pointed out to him that once completed, “the end results will be beneficial for everyone.” The Mayor was also received again by the King later yesterday morning, this time with members of the King's Cup regatta organising committee, who presented him with a replica of the sculpture of Jaume Mir which is the City of Palma Prize for Sports and which the city council awarded to the King's Cup regatta last May. The regatta celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.
The Mayor said that the sculpture had been presented to the King to “show our thanks and to acknowledge the importance of the regatta for Palma.” The King also received Balearic leader Jaume Matas in audience yesterday morning. Matas later confirmed that he had asked the King to support the development of a research centre of coastal marine sciences in the Balearics.
He said that the King was predisposed to back the initiative, which he described as “a pioneering project in Spain”.
The research centre is one of a series of proposals for which Matas will be seeking State finance.
It will need an initial investment of 12 to 13 million euros, and a further two million euros a year.
The talks lasted for 50 minutes and they discussed matters of general interest in the Balearics.
Matas said that he had thanked the King “for his presence and that of all the royal family in the Balearics.” He also praised the King's “sensitivity” when it came to supporting matters which favoured the islands.
The King also received Parliamentary Speaker Pere Rotger, who described the royal family as “the best ambassadors the Balearic Islands have.
Rotger was accompanied by other members of parliament. He said the presence of the King in Majorca “helps to promote tourism and the social and economic reality of the Balearics.”