IRAN AND SPAIN AGREED ON NO WINE, NO SCARF COMPROMISE
MADRID 22 Oct. (IPS) Iran and Spain diffused Tuesday the row over serving wine at banquets during the forthcoming state visit of the Iranian President Mohammad Khatami on a "no wine, no scarf" basis, according to Spanish protocol sources.
"The Spanish government cancelled all official diners, including the one offered by King Juan Carlos in honour of the Iranian guest, while the Iranian side accepted the presence of women without scarf", the source said.
The Iranians condition that no wine should be served during all official diners in the one hand and the Spanish protocol insisting that traditional protocol, that comprise serving wine at state banquets should be respected had reached the point that angry Spaniards had threatened to cancel whole visit.
"But the divergences were resolved after King Juan Carlos proposed that
his banquet for the Iranian President, who is a junior cleric, be replaced by a
private diner", Iranian journalist Ahmad Ra’fat told the
Prague-based Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty.
"The state banquet, which was due to be given by King Juan Carlos and Queen Sophia for Mr and Mrs Khatami, was removed from the schedule after the Iranian protocol office cited religious reasons for refusing the President to eat at a table where alcohol, specifically wine, was on offer", he said.
In a reciprocal move, the Iranian protocol agreed that all women invited to the official functions be free to cover or not their hair, a decision that is bound to stir the wrath of Iranian orthodox ayatollahs.
However, Queen Sofia and the wife of Mr. Aznar announced that they would not attend any functions with Khatami, according to Barcelona's daily "El Periodico".
A Spanish Foreign Ministry spokesman said: "It was to avoid a stand-off between the protocol offices of the two countries and so that the Spanish custom of drinking wine with meals was not dishonoured".
Angry Spanish had told the Iranians that when they have Muslim guests, the protocol respects their tradition by serving them with non-alcoholic beverages while other guests drink wine.
The official said Spain wanted to accommodate Khatami as it would any other leader with special protocol needs but saw no need to have Islamic custom imposed on this country.
An Iranian foreign affairs spokesman said: "Islamic principles are very important for Iran. Traditionally in state banquets wine is served but the Iranian delegation found participation in such a banquet inexpedient".
Mr. Khatami is due to land in Madrid on 28 of October, bringing with him a delegation of sixty people, most of them businessmen. This is the first official visit to Spain of an Iranian president since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
But the conservative government headed by Jose Maria Aznar, the prime minister, was not so amenable. "The government arguments have put a lot of emphasis on the cultural tradition that surrounds the consumption of wine in a country like Spain", "El Mundo said. ENDS KHATAMI MADRID VISIT 221002