RIYADH, 10 February 2004 — Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, arrived here yesterday on a visit to the Kingdom after surprise visits to Iraq and Iran, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Charles was received at the airport by senior Saudi officials including Prince Miteb, assistant commander of the National Guard for military affairs, the SPA said.
“Prince Charles was there last in 2001,” said a spokeswoman from Clarence House, Charles’ official London residence.
Earlier, Charles toured the quake-devastated Iranian city of Bam yesterday following a historic meeting with President Mohammad Khatami on the first visit to the Islamic republic by a member of the British royal family.
He walked down a rubble-strewn street watched by children riding rusty bicycles, while women in black chadors peered from tents erected to replace the houses demolished in the Dec. 26 quake that killed some 43,000 people.
He met local farmers trying to rebuild a Qanat — or ancient underground irrigation structure — and resume the growing of dates which the area is famed for.
The prince patted one of them, Bahrani Baravatti, on the back, and told him, “I wish we could do more. We have been trying to gather more assistance for you.”
After scrambling up a steep pile of collapsed mud, the prince — who was dressed in a suit and tie but wearing beige loafers and sunglasses — was given a close-up look at the level of devastation.
He also toured a Red Cross clinic to chat with injured survivors and offer words of encouragement to aid staff, before going into talks with the provincial governor.
In private talks, the Iranian president spoke at length about his concept of a “dialogue among civilizations” and defended democratic ideals, but warned that democracy could not be imposed from abroad, the official news agency IRNA reported.
Khatami told Charles that coalition forces should withdraw from Iraq and allow Iraqis decide their future political fate themselves.
“The only option to stop the dilemma in Iraq is withdrawal of allied forces from the country and preparing grounds for democratic elections under the supervision of the United Nations,” Khatami said in remarks broadcast by state television IRIB.
The president reiterated assurances on Iran’s international commitments in the nuclear field but asked Europe to fulfill its promises to acknowledge Iran’s right for peaceful atomic activities.
He qualified ties between Tehran and London as “suitable”, explaining: “We are trying to turn misunderstandings to understanding and establish better cooperation through wisdom and dialogue.”
No British royal has been to Iran for more than 32 years, since before the ousting of the imperial regime by the Islamic revolution of 1979.
Charles’ father Prince Philip and sister Princess Anne were there in 1971, for celebrations marking the 2,500th anniversary of the Persian empire.
British sources insisted that his visit was in his capacity as head of the British Red Cross and had no political significance.
They said that even though Iran is in the midst of both a major political crisis and celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of the overthrow of the monarchy, the green light for the visit by the heir to the British throne was given quickly.
