THE READER at Mallorca Online Nr.446

at Mallorca Online Issue No. 446

Headlines of April 4th to 17th, 1998

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NEW PHONE NUMBERS

Changes to Spanish and International telephone prefixes come into affect today 04 April. Calls made within the Balearic Islands and International calls to Spain will have to add the two or three prefix number (in the case of the Balearics, 971), before the number. Calls to Mainland Spain will not change as the prefix is already used to make these calls.
For example, calls made within the Balearic Islands will have the 971 prefix added to the telephone number - eg 971 718570. Calls made from abroad to Spain will require the complete prefix including the "9", meaning that the Balearic prefix will be 971 instead of 71, eg 34 971 718570.
If making a call to a mobile phone, dial the International code - 34 in the case of Spain - followed by the number "9", then the mobile phone number. In other words, all telephone numbers in Spain, be they standard or mobile phones, all begin with "9".
All information services beginning with "00" will have a "1" added before the number, the present 003 changing to 1003. This only affects numbers with two "0"s as the police number 091, or ambulance service, 061, will not change.
There will be a period of time, until 06 June, according to Telefcnica when we spoke to them on Thursday, during which both systems will operate to allow callers to get accustomed to the new system. After this date the caller will be informed by an answering service of the changes to the dialing system for a further period of 15 days.
The new International prefix, "00" for all EU countries will not come into force until later this year.
From 02 April, the telephone number of National Police Headquarters in
Palma changed to 225200 (971 225200), the other two telephone lines are no longer valid.

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MALLORCAN APPOINTED TO CUBA

Diplomatic relations between Spain and Cuba have been reinstated after a "vacancy" of nearly 18 months.
On Thursday, President Aznar announced that he had named a "technical ambassador with no party political leanings", to occupy the embassy position, vacant since November 1996. The Presidential decision was due to be ratified by the Council of Ministers on Thursday morning.
Fidel Castro agreed to the President's nomination in less than 24
hours after a telephone conversation between the two leaders lasting 30 minutes.
Diplomatic relations between Spain and Cuba have changed drastically in the last few months as can be seen by an official visit to Spain next Monday of Cuba's Foreign Minister, Roberto Robaina.
Eduardo Junco Bonet, the new ambassador, was born in Palma in 1945 and will replace JosÇ Coderch, whose diplomatic immunity was withdrawn by Fidel Castro in 1996 when Coderch announced that he was giving his support to Cuban dissidents.
The new Ambassador has made many fiends during his professional career. The Spanish employees of Abengoa and Montreal, a Spanish company in Zaire (Africa) can verify to Eduardo Junco's professionalism and humanity. Driving a van, he raced through a border control, amid a rifle "shoot out" between border patrols, risking his life to get them to safety. During his stay in Zaire, Spanish missionaries were very grateful for an essential radio system he set up in Kinshasa (Zaire). With the help of Spanish residents, an instructions manual and a screw driver, he personally supervised the placing of a 10 metre aerial so that missionaries, using the code "La Casa Grande" (the Big House), could be in touch with the Embassy at all times during the "Great Lakes" crisis.
While Junco was posted to El Salvador (1975-80), his home was "open house" to foreign correspondents or to anyone who needing help or advice.
Junco, married and with two children, has also served in Spanish embassies in Hamburg and the Ukraine.

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PALM PROCESSIONS

The popular Holy Week processions in Palma, and in almost every town in Spain, begin tomorrow, Palm Sunday. Preparations for the processions have been going on for several weeks as "Cofradoas" or brotherhoods/sisterhoods, of religious groups prepare religious floats, costumes, pasos (the controlled steps taken by those carrying heavy floats) and music, which is mainly a steady drum beat in rhythm to the "pasos".
In Palma, Holy Week celebrations began on Friday (yesterday) when the banners of the three main "Cofradoas" (Palma has 30), were blessed in the church of San Francisco. On Palm Sunday there is the "Triumphant entry into Jerusalem" procession starting at San Jaime church at 6pm, followed by Monday's "Christ in Agony" procession from Santa Clara church at 8.30pm. At the same time on Tuesday, the "Our Lady of Sorrows" procession takes place from the church of San Nicolas and on Wednesday at the same time, the "Holy Cross" procession leaves from the church of the same name.
The most popular procession during Holy Week is the "Christ of the Holy Blood" procession which starts earlier at 7pm on Holy Thursday 9th.
As this is a national holiday in Spain, all 30 "Cofradoas" take part and thousands of people line the streets of the city. This procession leaves from La Sangre church (in front of the General Hospital, up the hill from Via Roma), going through the centre of Palma and returning to the square in front of the church. Holy Week ends with the "Sacred Burial" procession on Good Friday, starting from the church of Saint Francis at 7pm ending at the Socorro church where all "Cofradoas" will present their "standards" or banners.

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UNESCO CONCERT

The first organised event to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the UNESCO Declaration of Human Rights, was held last Saturday in Palma's Auditorium.

The concert, organised by Together in the World, a branch of UNESCO, featured British composer and conductor Karl Jenkins and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The programme included Adiemus I (Songs of Sanctuary) and Adiemus II (Cantata Mundi), for orchestra, soprano
soloist and a small choir of six, both works composed by Jenkins. The compositions, based on Celtic, African and Mauri ethnic music, are easy to listen to as the words have no meaning. "They are universal - an invented language which appeals to everyone", according to Karl Jenkins who was interviewed by The Reader before the concert.
On his first visit to Palma Jenkins commented that he intended to do some sight-seeing, time permitting. "It is just a small break from work as we return to London on Sunday morning after the concert". Jenkins told our reporter that he had composed a special piece for the concert which would be its first performance. "I have called it Sarabande. It is based on the 16th century Spanish dance which was banned by Spain's King Philip II in 1583 as he thought it obscene. However, this sarabande is very respectable", he laughed.
Jenkins is preparing a third Adiemus called "Imagined Oceans" including song titles such as "Water on the Moon" (before scientist discovered this, he claimed), "Lake of Serenity, "Sea of Shadows" and "Bay of Rainbows". It is hoped that his new CD will be as successful as the first two which have already sold over two million copies.

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Photos: THE READER; El diadel mundo; archives

ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION

The scheme is to protect several large ecological areas including the Isle of Cabrera, S'Albufera and Ses Salines in Ibiza and Formentera.
Spain's representative in the European Environmental Office, Ibicencan ecologist Josep Ribas, announced Spain's proposals during the week, saying that he was pleased with the number of nature reserves from the Balearics included in the project. In a letter to the Minister of the Environment, Isabel Tocino, Ribas underlined the fact that the proposal would benefit many nature reserves that local, autonomous or state authorities were either unwilling or able to protect.
The ecologist told the minister that, from the moment these areas had been listed, many species of wild animals and plants now had official protection on an EU level.
According to a ministry spokesperson, although the Spanish project had not yet been presented to the EU Commission, approval was almost a formality. Later this year, an EU commission will decide which areas will be declared Protected Community Areas.
In Ibiza, not only Ses Salines but Es Vedr+, Tagomago, the islets of Poniente, Punta de sa Creu and Cap de Barbaria, have also been listed.


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