King Mohammed VI of Morocco October 28 held a grand ceremony to welcome Chinese President Jiang Zemin for his first visit to the Northern African country.

When Jiang and his wife Wang Yeping arrived at the Palace Square, they were greeted by King Mohammed VI, Prince Moulay Rachid and Princess Lalla Meryem, who presented a bouquet of flowers to Wang Yeping.

When President Jiang and King Mohammed VI stepped up onto the reviewing stand, a Moroccan military band played the national anthems of the two countries and a 21-gun solute was fired.

Accompanied by King Mohammed VI, President Jiang reviewed the guards of honor.

Jiang's entourage including Vice Premier Qian Qichen, Moroccan Prime Minister Abderrahmane Youssoufi and other members of the Moroccan cabinet, and foreign diplomats here also attended the ceremony.

The city of Rabat also extended its welcome to the Chinese president: thousands of local Moroccans lined along the street from the Palace Square to the municipal government building, cheering the Chinese guests.

Chinese President Jiang Zemin arrived in Rabat October 27 night. Morocco is the fourth leg of Jiang's six-nation tour of Europe, Africa and Asia. He has already visited Britain, France and Portugal and will travel on to Algeria and then Saudi Arabia. (Xinhua)