JACKO PALMA VISIT CANCELLED

ON Tuesday the Balearic government was looking at staging the Balearics' biggest ever publicity stunt, however less than 24 hours after the project was handed in, a warrant was issued for the arrest of Michael Jackson and the project scrapped Had everything gone according to plan, Michael Jackson was to spend three days in Majorca next month on a promotional visit.
The three-day stunt would have in fact cost the Balearic government very little. The visit was being organised and handled by a private company acting on its own initiative, which jumped on the opportunity of Jackson being in Madrid on the Spanish leg of a European Tour in December. Balearic government sources confirmed yesterday that they had received the project and that it received immediate attention on Tuesday.
It appeared that the government liked what it saw and that the project was serious and solid.
Jackson would have flown to Palma after the Madrid concert and spent three days at one of the island's top hotels with his entourage.
What the pop star's itinary was to be remains a mystery, but he was to visit the island's key tourist attractions, such as the Cathedral and Bellver Castle, and meet leading politicians.
UNITED STATES
On Tuesday night, Operation Jackson was set for the green light, but when news of the singer being wanted by the police in the United States, the project was shelved. Jackson would have become quite probably the biggest international personality, not only to have visited Majorca but more importantly, to have helped promote the island. Coming just a month after the Balearics signed up Oscar-winning Hollywood actor/producer Michael Douglas as the region's new international tourism ambassador, Jackson in Majorca would have guaranteed the island attracted global media attention and coverage. The government's willingness to entertain such an idea shows just how open-minded president Jaume Matas and his team are with regards to ensuring the Balearics receive maximum coverage world wide. However, opposition politicians are still angry over the millions of euros the government paid Michael Douglas for his Costa Nord cultural centre and his services. Operation Michael Jackson is certainly going to open up a new can of worms. According to former vice-president of the Balearics, the promotional services of Claudia Schiffer, a regular visitor to Majorca like Michael Douglas, could have been secured for a much lesser fee than the actor.