I think Dr Brian Lang needs to get out more!

What next?- an honorary PhD in nuclear physics for Kim Jong-il?

Quote
"They say Mr Khatami ran a brutal regime that regularly breached human rights"

Er...Abu Graib, Camp X-Ray, Gunatanamo Bay, Private Mercenaries, Iraq, Lebanon..

Pot. Kettle. Black.

George Bush is not being awarded an honorary degree by St. Andrews University so what's your point Alessandro?

Who mentioned Feorge Bush, Sarah? But, if the cap fits...

Well, of course, if Jack Straw encouraged it, why not. Mr. Khatami seems to have a rather nasty record on human rights and other abuses but heck why should that stop him getting an honorary degree from St. Andrews. Tony Blair should get one as well - he has all the required qualifications.

Er, Khatami was the nice one that we liked and who got elected by all the liberals and the women etc. He tried to improve Iran and make it even more democratic before the mullahs sat on him. A perfectly decent person to engage with critically. Remember?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3027382.stm

Maybe Khatami promised not to wear a veil over his face, just draw one over the past and over the eyes of his hosts, following self-proclaimed socialist-utopians' standard practice of decades.

Interesting that St. Andrews University comes within British foreign policy!

Khatami spoke of a 'dialogue between nations' and shook hands with the Israeli president. A few years ago our policy towards Iran was of trying to build bridges and Khatami was an important part of that.

Much of the outrage against this visit smacks of hypocrisy-particularly when you think of how the Pakistani president has been fetted in the West.

Allesandro 3

Spot on!

"Mr Khatami ran a brutal regime that regularly breached human rights"

Just like Jack Straw and his criminal associates.

I wonder if this means the British Embassy in Tehran is no longer on Bobby Sands Street.

Curiousity got the better of me...

British Embassy Tehran
198 Ferdowsi Avenue

Quid pro quo perhaps?

http://irelandsown.net/bobby2.html

Another example of toading to the .....u know what I mean....

right on cue-Prince Charles is meeting with the Pakistani dictator. Why aren't the people protesting against the visit of Khatami making a noise about this?

Appears a lot of floks didn't get there coffee this morning.
1. Honorary degrees have always been ridiculous, except in the case of the few people who couldn't have one in their field because they invented it, or some self-educated author or artist. Rememer your grumbling when some politician or entertainer you like gets one!
2. Alessandro: we dealt with your absurd "false equality" between West and East during the Cold War. America wasn't the USSR and it's not Iran. The best proof of which is that those mistreated THERE run HERE, while those who claimed they were mistreated HERE do not run THERE: they scream for the press and their lawyer and often as not win.
3. Richard: Meeting a de facto head of state in his country is not the same as granting a former head of state a degree in your own country. Churchill dealt with Stalin, we deal with Musharref. Would you rather have your backs to the wall again? What kind of madman d'think you'd get is he fell?

Before we start calling people names, we should look at our recent contribution to human rights in the Middle East and South-West Asia. Good job the degree's not being presented to "Dubya"....you'd REALLY have something to complain about then.

Do try to read a bit more and understand the difference between a repressive regime and one man who tried to make a difference, failed and voted with his feet.

Britain Honouring the Terrorists and Rogue Regimes?

There must be something in it for Britian.

No doubt Ahmedinejad will likewise be hononored, perhaps by Cambridge, after he manages to wipe out Israel.

Why not honour him right now for saying that Holocaust was a hoax.

We all know Jack Straw. he has sold his soul to the devil on many occasion since 1997. to get what he want's.

unfortunately the US under that paragon of strength, Jimmy Carter, did not deal with the Iranians when they committed the cassus belli of storming the US embassy. the revolutionary guards of which Khatami was part of should have been give the "courtesy" of 48 hours to exit the embassy or tehran would have been forever known as the city of glass.

'3. Richard: Meeting a de facto head of state in his country is not the same as granting a former head of state a degree in your own country. Churchill dealt with Stalin, we deal with Musharref. Would you rather have your backs to the wall again? What kind of madman d'think you'd get is he fell?'

Think you're splitting hairs there. I know that Musharref has been to the white house, and he may well have been to downing st too for all I know. We're happy to deal with China and their humans rights record is attrocious.

I would have hoped people would have learnt that getting rid of a regime because it has some unsavoury aspects doesn't really solve much.
Khatami represents a more reforming side of Iranian politics, and a more conciliatory attitude to other countries-most notably Israel.

Bridge building exercises like this ceremony have a purpose and we should welcome it.

I thought that Khatami was the liberalising one who had meetings with Israeli leaders. So why is he a bad guy?

I trust the new Iranian centre will be located right next to St Andrews' Centre for Terrorism Studies.

Having humorous rectors is one thing, hosting a despicable leader is quite something else.

I hope that St Andrews will be suitably ashamed - they should at least now how much bloodshed has been caused by intransigent religious groups. Iranian leaders. past and present should not be welcome in the now liberal streets of St Andrews.

Robert, the reason why we are not protesting about Prince Charles visiting Pakistan is because we hope that he'll like it and stay there!

You guys, don't be so ignorant! This man was the liberal president that tried to stand up to the religious fundamentalists who were running that country. If George Bush hadn't waded into their election he might still be their president instead of the current moron (much like with GB waded into the German election & kept Schroder alive a while longer.)

You can't blame every individual for the sins of the regime. This guy worked his butt off to try to change his country and risked his life & all you can do is make gross generalizations. I'm ashamed of these letters!

Shame on St. Andrews for inviting Khatami there and shame on Jack Straw for encouraging it. Could it also be because Khatami has donated thousands of books worth alot of money for the new Iran studies department at St Andrews?

Khatami was no moderate. He claimed to be only to lenghten the life of the regime of Iran. This was so that they could continue with their secret nuclear programme, oppression and terrorism.

Does that deserve a degree these days?!! Where is justice in this world?

Joanna: Agreeing this guy is less bad than what has succeeded him, you have a point. The world doesn't let us pick Heaven, just Hell and various degrees of Purgatory. That may make him good enough to negotiate with or recieve in some official capacity, but your fellow Britons are asking: is he good enough to receive an honor froma private agency with no diplomatic stack in him?
Ming: Carter was no coward, but like many European leaders before the 39-45 War, has an exaggerated faith in the power of diplomacy in the face of a determined aggressor. He did help keep the Russians out of Poland in the late 1970s with embargoes and cruise missiles. Perhaps Iran taught him a lesson.

Khatami's Iran was a lot more liberal and democratic than England was under Elizabeth the first, and think how she is celebrated.

there's always a degree of hypocrisy over world leaders and our attitude to them.

Overall Khatami is part of the solution, more than he is part of the problem.

Now Iran is developing nuclear weapons, Khatami is to be given a BSc.

Bomb Someother country.