The former President of Iran, Mohammad Khatami, has said US efforts to impose western-style democracy in the Middle East are flawed.
Speaking to an audience of academics and journalists at the Chatham House international affairs thinktank in London, Mr Khatami said democracy was a right for all people in the East or West but there was no 'one-size-fits-all' model.
Instead, he said, democracy needed to be tailored to the social, historical, cultural and religious make-up of an individual nation.
He said: 'Democracy is not something to be exported or given.
'Historically, human affairs depend on social conditions and experience. The experience of one country, one nation, cannot be extended to another geographical area with a different culture and conditions.'
Mr Khatami's visit prompted noisy protests outside the venue from more than 100 exiled Iranian pro-democracy campaigners.
