HIGHLANDS and Islands Euro-MP Winnie Ewing yesterday appealed to the

Government to allow some of the #260m to #300m Objective 1 money,

earmarked for her constituency, to be used to help to establish a new

university of the Highlands and Islands.

Speaking in Inverness, she said: ''My own view is that we should take

advantage of the new provisions in Objective 1 that permit a member

state to include health and education, which had been excluded in the

last package.''

She added: ''But I have said to all concerned that if it looks as

though the Scottish Office is absolutely fixed on not including health

and education, we will have to make one fight for an exception, namely

the Highland university.''

Meanwhile, Mrs Ewing thought there was now a strong possibility that

Grampian's coastal areas and agricultural hinterland, as well as

Arbroath and upland Tayside, could be accepted for Objective 5 B

classification.

''There has been a shift in influence since the last time. It used to

be the Commission which decided which were the 5 B areas. But this time

they are deciding on the global amounts for 5 B, the total amount that

will come to Britain and then Britain has got the discretion where it

goes.

''So Grampian's lobbying now has to be with the British Government,''

she said.