The new Ambassador of Malta to Unesco, Mgr Joe Vella Gauci, was conspicuous by his absence at the General Conference of Unesco which welcomed the Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta, Matthew Festing, sources told The Malta Independent .

In view of the 900 th anniversary of the Order, the Grand Master addressed the General Conference, meeting in Paris, and inaugurated an exhibition for the occasion.

The Order of Malta has Observer status at Unesco and has been very active in recent years. The Order is held in very high esteem by the organisation and this was a particular special occasion for the Order and for Malta.

The General Conference is the most important meeting of Unesco in its calendar. It is the occasion when all Ambassadors attend. This year the presence of the Grand Master of the Order made the occasion even more important for Malta.

Other Ambassadors were very surprised by the absence of the new Ambassador of Malta, who had presented his credentials only a few weeks ago, the sources said. Many important personalities, including Presidents and Ministers, address the opening session of the General Conference, which meets once every two years.

The General Conference is always the meeting when all important decisions of the organisation are taken. Two years ago the State of Palestine became a full Member and Malta took a very active part in the lobbying in favour of this decision.