MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

President Lagos invites Prince Charles to Chile

Chilean President Ricardo Lagos asked Queen Elizabeth II that Prince Charles visit Chile in the near future.

Mr. Lagos on a one day official visit to Britain met with Her Majesty in Buckingham Palace Tuesday morning and extended the invitation.

"We pointed out to the Queen that practically all the Royal Family has been in Chile with the exception of Prince Charles and that possibly it was time to update the situation", revealed President Lagos talking with Chilean journalists in the London hotel where he's staying.

Later in the day Mr. Lagos met with Primer Minister Tony Blair with whom they considered several bilateral and multilateral issues according to Chilean sources.

President Lagos who spent Tuesday, the first of his seven days visit to Europe in London said he requested from Prime Minister Blair a strengthened British presence in the unstable, poverty stricken Haiti.

"A more active presence from Britain in Haiti is most important", said Mr. Lagos who underlined the "great effort" of Chile in the Caribbean island, which currently has a very modest UK participation.

President Lagos recalled that Chile opposed in the United Nations Security Council intervention in Iraq without an official UN mandate, but when this was the background, "72 hours after the UN mandate, we were in Haiti".

"For us it's essential that decisions are arrived inside United Nations because as small countries in a globalized world, we want clear rules", added Mr. Lagos who claimed the significance of multilateralism in current world affairs.

The Chilean president also revealed he asked for a greater EU contribution to science, research and technology.

"Since Chile has a scientific-technological agreement with the EU, it's entitled to those funds, and in 10 Downing Street we suggested an increase for those funds in the EU 2007/2013 budget", indicated Mr. Lagos.

"Research, science, technology are essential for Chile if we want to have a strong sustained growth", he emphasized.

Mr. Lagos left London Tuesday afternoon for Madrid where he is to be hosted by the Spanish Royal Family.