PRESIDENT MESIC ATTENDS 500TH ANNIVERSARY OF BIRTH OF CHARLES V

PRESIDENT MESIC ATTENDS 500TH ANNIVERSARY OF BIRTH OF CHARLES V TOLEDO, Oct 5 (Hina) - Speaking at Thursday's ceremony in Toledo marking the 500th anniversary of Charles V, the monarch under whose reign Europe of the Renaissance achieved a degree of unity unimaginable until then, Spain's King Juan Carlos I called Charles V the forerunner of the ideal of a harmonious community of European nations. King Juan Carlos welcomed the presidents and monarchs of all European states which were once part of the Kingdom of Spain and the Holy German-Roman Empire, including Croatian President Stipe Mesic. "Charles V was the last knight of medieval Christianity and the forerunner of the ideal of concord between European nations, united in their belonging to the same civilisation circle," Juan Carlos said. The 500th anniversary of Charles V (1500-1558), during whose reign Europe expanded trying in vain to overcome its differences, is the right time to "emphasise what unites us as Europeans and what links us inseparably to the destiny of the rest of mankind," the Spanish king said. Today's ceremony at Toledo's cathedral also included addresses by the presidents of the academies of Belgium, Germany, Austria and Spain. (hina) rml