NORWAY CROWN PRINCE, CROWN PRINCESS ACCORDED STATE WELCOME

KUALA LUMPUR, March 8 (Bernama) -- Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess
Mette-Marit of Norway were accorded a state welcome at Perdana Square in
Putrajaya when they arrived to begin a three-day visit to Malaysia.

They were greeted by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his wife,
Rosmah Mansor, at the square.

Prince Haakon inspected a guard-of-honour mounted by 103 officers and men of
the first battalion Royal Malay Regiment led by Major Mohamad Abdullah.

Najib and Rosmah then had an audience with the royal couple at the Prime
Minister's Office.

The royal couple then went to the National Palace here for an audience with
the King Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, and the Queen Tuanku Nur Zahirah.

Prince Haakon and Princess Mette-Marit arrived in the federal capital by
road after flying in to Singapore by a commercial flight.

They were welcomed by Deputy Foreign Minister A. Kohilan Pillay and Deputy
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Joseph Kurup, who are the
ministers-in-attendance, as they arrived at their hotel here.

The royal couple were accompanied by a 45-member delegation which included
Trade and Industry Minister Trond Giske, Deputy Foreign Minister Erik Lahnstein,
Deputy Fisheries and Coastal Affairs Minister Vidar Ulriksen and Deputy
Petroleum and Energy Minister Robin Martin Kass.

Najib will play host to Prince Haakon at a banquet at Sri Perdana, official
residence of the prime minister, in Putrajaya, Monday night.

-- BERNAMA