The parliamentary secretary for culture Jose Herrera today said that the issues Malta had with UNESCO are practically solved.

There have been fears in the past that Valletta might lose its world heritage status. Last year, UNESCO expressed its concern over the impact of the City Gate Project on the outstanding universal value of Valletta.

A report prepared for UNESCO states that “it is agreed that the development will have no direct negative impact on the outstanding universal value of the property.”

On the location of the flea market to Ordnance street, another report says that “both the location and the situation of individual stalls is totally reversible so that there will be no obvious damage to the outstanding universal value of the Valletta world heritage site.”

Dr Herrera said that many of the problems were down to incomplete documentation or a lack of communication. 

Dr Herrera said the issues over the master gunner’s quarters, the saluting battery and the extension of the law courts have also been solved.

The problems have been solved “with God’s help,” Malta's ambassador to UNESCO Mons Joe Vella Gauci said.

He said that he was faced with an array of problems before he had even presented his credentials , and seven months into his tenure Malta  now enjoys “cordial” relations with UNESCO.

He said that having Malta as the European capital of culture would have lost its significance has Valletta’s world heritage status been removed.

Three site managers have been appointed by the national world heritage site committee to curate the world heritage sites of Valletta, Mdina and Cittadella in Gozo. Architects Mirieille Fsadni, Wendy Jo Attard and Ivana Farrugia will take care of the respective sites.