ISTANBUL, Oct 25 (AFP) - Britain's Prince Charles on Monday praised Turkey as an example of religious tolerance and lent support to its bid to join the European Union, at the reopening of the bombed British consulate in Istanbul.
The historic building was partly destroyed on November 20, 2003 in deadly twin bombings which also targeted the headquarters of Britain's HSBC bank.
The carnage, blamed on a Turkish cell of the Al-Qaeda network, came just five days after similar car bomb attacks on two Istanbul synagogues.
"Far from sowing division between us, those who planned these murderous attacks simply brought us together -- Briton and Turk, Muslim, Jew and Christian," Charles said at the ceremony, according to a copy of his speech released by the British consulate.
The heir to the British throne praised Istanbul as a city where "different people, cultures, religions and even civilizations have come together... and lived alongside and learnt from each other."
He said Turkey's EU bid was an "extraordinary opportunity" for the Muslim nation to prove "that secular democracy does not have to come at the expense of Islamic values; and that accepting Turkish cultural and social values within Europe does not mean that democracy and the rule of law are under threat."
"For many years, the United Kingdom has been one of Turkey's most steadfast supporters -- in Europe and more widely. I know we will continue to provide that support in the years to come," he added.
Although it is unusual for a member of the royal family to venture into a political debate, royal speeches abroad are generally vetted by the Foreign Office.
EU leaders are to decide on December 17 whether and when to open accession talks with Turkey, which has been trying to enter the bloc for decades. London has already indicated that it will vote in favour.
Turkish Tourism Minister Erkan Mumcu, religious leaders including Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomeus I, nominal head of the Greek Orthodox Church, the mayor and governor of Istanbul and a representative of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also attended the ceremony.
The four bombings, the worst terrorist acts in Turkish history, killed a total of 63 people and wounded hundreds of others.
Sixteen people perished at the British consulate, including Consul-General Roger Short and nine other staff of the mission.
The attack hit the building -- the British embassy when Istanbul was the Ottoman capital -- just nine weeks from completion of a restoration following a fire in 2000 which had destroyed its upper floors.
The consulate, surrounded by the bustling side streets that house bars, shops and restaurants in the crowded business district of Beyoglu, was under tight security for Charles' visit.
Police snipers were positioned on rooftops and security forces blocked off approaches to the building for the ceremony, which was closed to the media.
Following the ceremony, the prince visited an ancient sanctuary of whirling dervishes.
The prince then flew to Ankara, where he met President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and was due to have dinner with Erdogan.
In the Turkish capital, he also attended a dance workshop for the disabled that is sponsored by the British Council.
Security fears have thrown a veil of secrecy over details of his visit here, but he was expected to briefly visit the southeastern Turkish city of Mardin on Tuesday before flying on to Jordan.
Mardin, an ethnically diverse, 7,000-year-old city of spectacular stone architecture perched on a craggy hill overlooking the Mesopotamian plain, has so far failed in its long-standing effort to get on UNESCO's list of World Heritage sites.
10/25/2004 15:58 GMT - AFP