Sir Menzies Cambell brings dishonour on St Andrew's, Scotland's oldest university

This award to the former President of Iran disgraces Scotland’s oldest university

THE TIMES: WE MUST thank the University of St Andrews for that rare opportunity — the chance to employ with a straight face the cliché “it’s like Caligula appointing his horse as consul”. How so? Because Scotland’s oldest university has decided to award an honorary doctorate of law to former President Khatami of Iran “in recognition of his efforts to encourage interfaith dialogue”.

I kid you not. No less a person than Sir Menzies Campbell, the university’s Chancellor, will bestow the accolade on the acceptable face of violent, arbitrary clerical rule. It will come to be seen as one of the most shameful days in the university’s history — on a par with the honorary degrees granted by the University of Edinburgh to Robert Mugabe, of Zimbabwe, or the Central London Polytechnic to Elena Ceaucescu, of Romania. They, too, were once fashionable items among the appeasing classes, of which Sir Menzies is the contemporary personification. The dishonouring of St Andrews by Dean Godson

THE SUNDAY TIMES: STUDENT leaders are organising a mass protest over St Andrews University’s decision to award an honorary degree to a former Iranian president who praised Hezbollah.

Muhammad Khatami is to be made an honorary doctor of laws by Sir Menzies Campbell, the Liberal Democrat leader who is also the university’s chancellor.

Khatami will open the university’s Institute for Iranian Studies, which will house 12,000 books donated by Sadegh Kharazi, Iran’s former ambassador to France. The collection of Iranian texts, the largest of its kind in Europe, is estimated to be worth more than £100,000. Fury as St Andrews honours Hezbollah backer by Mark Macaskill and Abul Taher

BBC: The former president of Iran, Mohammad Khatami, has begun a visit to the UK by calling for dialogue between civilisations to prevent religious wars. He is the most senior Iranian figure to visit the UK since the Islamic revolution in 1979. Mixed reception for Iran's ex-president

BLOOMBERG: London Police have concluded there is insufficient evidence to pursue a criminal investigation against Iran's former president Mohammad Khatami, after two exiled Iranians said they were tortured by his government.

The Metropolitan Police service received a letter last week referring to alleged acts of torture in the Islamic Republic in 1999. Torture committed anywhere in the world is a criminal offence under British law, according to section 134 of the Criminal Justice Act. London Police Dismiss Accusations Against Iran's Khatami by Caroline Alexander

Mark Alexander