The Crown Prince of Bhutan and the Sheikh of Kuwait were delighted to have attended the celebration of His Majesty the King's 60th anniversary on the throne, caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said yesterday.

Surakiart, who was assigned by caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to organise events for the foreign royal members on Monday and Tuesday, visited the members of the Bhutanese and Kuwaiti royal families yesterday.

At 9.30am, Surakiart had an audience with His Royal Highness Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan at the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel and spoke with him for nearly an hour.

"The Crown Prince told me he had met with several other kings and queens in his lifetime, but his dream was to meet the King of Thailand because he had closely followed the work of HM the King. So this occasion has made his dream come true," Surakiart said.

He said bilateral relations between Thailand and Bhutan were at their best, adding he expressed Thailand's readiness to share its knowledge and expertise with Bhutanese officials in the fields of agriculture and industry. At the same time, Thailand is also interested in learning from Bhutan, especially its success in environmental conservation.

Later, at 11.40am, Surakiart went to the Intercontinental Hotel to meet with His Highness Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah of Kuwait and talked with him for about 40 minutes.

"His Highness asked me to pass on his congratulations to the King and wish His Majesty very good health. He said he felt very honoured to be at the celebration. It was the first time that representatives of 25 royal families had gathered together in one place," he said.

The Sheikh said the relationship between Thailand and Kuwait was very good and he would like to see greater cooperation on the economic front.

"The finance minister of Kuwait is also with the delegation and I have already arranged for him to meet with his counterpart, Dr Somkid Chatusripitak. The Sheikh also brought a big group of businessmen with him," deputy premier Surakiart said.

He said after the fasting month of Ramadan, the Sheikh would extend an invitation to a Thai delegation to visit Kuwait and find ways to enhance economic cooperation between the two countries.

"If Kuwait invests in Thailand, more Middle Eastern countries will come," he said.

Surakiart said the Sheikh was very impressed with the warm welcome of the Thai people, and believed the Kuwaiti businessmen will feel the same.

He said asking for backing for his bid to become UN secretary-general was not a main topic of discussion with either royal family member, but both countries had already expressed their support.

As chairman of the organising committee for the events of Monday and Tuesday, he felt very contented about their success. "Everything went smoothly, as planned, reflecting the hard work and two years of preparation by officials," he said.

Surakiart was also pleased that several of the royal family members had set their own personal touring schedules while in Thailand. "Everyone of them said they loved Thailand. They feel comfortable being in Thailand," he said.

Sopaporn Kurz

The Nation