DUNDEE CITY Square became a hive of activity on Saturday when the lord provost’s youth parade was held.

Around 800 singers, dancers, scouts, cheerleaders, members of karate and tae kwon do clubs, community groups and primary schools were joined by representatives from Dundee’s twin cities, giving the parade an international flavour.

The third annual youth festival was combined with a special twinning weekend to mark 60 years of links between Dundee and Orleans in France, believed to be one of the oldest formal twinning arrangements in Europe.

More than 40 representatives from some of Dundee’s twin cities—including Orleans, Alexandria in the US, and Wurzburg in Germany—took part in a weekend of festivities.

The colourful parade left Meadowside at 2pm and took a route down Reform Street, through the High Street into Nethergate and past the City Churches.

Participants marched past the Market Cross, into the Nethergate again and on to High Street, finishing in the City Square.

Groups then took over City Square with activities and demonstrations.

Stalls were set up in High Street, as well as the army’s climbing frame, Air Training Corps’ harrier cockpit and marquee, and the scouts’ mobile display unit.

Lord Provost John Letford said the excellent programme of events demonstrated that youth and international links are greatly valued in Dundee.

He said, “The weekend has been a fantastic success. There were in excess of 800 young people involved in this year’s parade, which is an extraordinary turnout.

“This is an ideal opportunity to get the young people of the world together so that they can learn about each other’s cultures, and build up friendships and co-operation. The children are our future and they’re great ambassadors for the city.”

On Friday the twin cities’ representatives were taken on a tour, stopping at the Mills Observatory and Morgan Academy before visiting Broughty Ferry Castle and being taken up the river on the RNLI’s lifeboat Elizabeth Of Glamis.

Delegates were treated to a fish supper before the Dundee Music Schools Theatre Group’s performance of the Hot Mikado.

On Saturday evening they attended a cabaret evening at the Apex Hotel, including music by Dundee Strathspey and Reel Society.

The lord provost said funds raised at the event would go towards a return visit to one of the twin cities.

At a service at St Paul’s Cathedral, Dundee, yesterday representatives from each of the twin cities gave an address or a reading in their own language.

* Mr Letford is to write to the Foreign Office demanding an explanation after the mayor of the Palestinian town of Nablus was not allowed to visit the city.

Mr Adly Yaish had been invited to take part in twinning celebrations during the Dundee Youth Festival, but he was unable to leave the West Bank last week despite having a valid visa and passport.

Though not a member of Palestinian-ruling party Hamas, Mr Yaish is known to support and be supported by the organisation many consider terrorist.

Dundee Nablus Twinning Association (DNTA) members expressed their regret that political restrictions had once again inhibited an important event for the group.

DNTA runs numerous events throughout the year to raise money for projects in the Palestinian territories, but is continually burdened by the political pressures in the region.

A spokesperson for the association said, “We were overjoyed when we heard that Mayor Yaish got all his travel documents and that he would be able to come.

“Now we are extremely disappointed that he was prevented from travelling.

“We hope that the travel restrictions will be lifted very soon and that twinning business between Dundee and Nablus is no longer curbed in that way.”

Mr Letford spoke to delegates from Dundee’s other twin cities on Saturday at a civic lunch and expressed his determination to unravel the mystery of Mayor Yaish’s travel restrictions.

He said, “We were told that he had been stopped at the Jordanian border, and that he had tried a second time but he was told to go back.

“As lord provost it is not my business to get involved in the politics of another country, and I was not planning to do that.

“But today I must say that I think it is disgraceful that a mayor from another country has not been allowed to come to Dundee on a day which is about sharing friendship and fostering peace and good relations.

“I will be writing to the Foreign Office to find out the reasons why the mayor was not allowed to travel here.

“We have many young people here learning about our culture and the visitors do not discuss politics at all during their stay. So it is very disappointing not to have the mayor with us.”

Dundee has been twinned with Nablus, in the West Bank, for 26 years.

Mr Yaish, who studied mechanical engineering in the UK in the 1970s and is a businessman, became mayor earlier this year after Palestinian elections that saw Hamas overtake the late Yasser Arafat’s Fatah party.