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The Balearic chapter of the Red Cross spent 412 million pesetas on international cooperation last year, nearly double the 211 million of the previous year, according to Gerardo Bonet, the Balearic president, who yesterday presented its annual report. The Red Cross invested 1'200 million pesetas in its activities in the archipelago last year, 13 per cent more than in 1998. This included 575 million pesetas for its hospital in Palma. Bonet also reported on the international projects in which it was involved. There were 11 in all, most of them in Honduras and El Salvador, which were devastated by Hurricane Mitch. He praised the local population for their response to appeals following such catastrophes. It was “extraordinary,” he said. He called on people to continue donating funds, to help the emergency programmes for the Ethiopian drought victims. The annual report showed that the number of members of the Red Cross in the Balearics has risen by two per cent to 2'399 and the number of volunteers has risen by 20 per cent to 2'303.