Former US President Jimmy Carter yesterday won a standing ovation from the House of Assembly.

The former Democratic President was invited to attend a special session of the House following the launch of a Bermuda branch of a worldwide charity he supports which provides affordable housing.

Mr. Carter told MPs: "This is truly a great honour for me.'' And he added: "We will continue our great interest in your great Country and we will continue to admire the democratic principles on which you are founded.

"We thank you deeply for letting us interrupt your important proceedings and we hope to come back and visit one of the most beautiful places on earth.'' Mr. Carter -- whose son Jack lives in Bermuda -- said he first came to the Island just after the Second World War as a US Navy officer on a submarine.

He added he and wife Rosalynn had visited 120 countries since leaving office in 1980 -- and said Bermuda was a favourite.

Mr. Carter said he "always felt at home in Bermuda'' and added that Crow Lane fixture Johnny Barnes always had a special welcome for him.

Earlier, Speaker of the House Stanley Lowe said: "Very few have been accorded the privilege of addressing Parliament.'' And he thanked Mr. Carter for the "unique and rare opportunity'' to meet and hear him.

Premier Jennifer Smith told Mr. Carter: "You will know that Bermuda has always valued its very close ties with the United States.'' And she added that the links formed from the Island's first days, when a ship en route to America was wrecked off Bermuda, continued with most of the visitors coming to the Island being from the east coast of the US.

She said Mr. Carter's home state of Georgia had played a major role in educating Bermudians.

Ms Smith added that Mr. Carter shared a home state with the late civil rights champion Martin Luther King -- and said: "I believe many of the same forces which shaped and formed Dr. King similarly impacted on President Carter.'' And she cited his most notable achievements as brokering the Israeli-Egypt peace deal and a treaty with the then Soviet Union to cut down the two Cold War opponents' nuclear arsenals.

Ms Smith added: "Truly we have in our midst a great humanitarian, a great statesman and a great American.'' Opposition leader Pamela Gordon said Mr. Carter was a member of the elite branch of the US Navy which crewed the first nuclear submarines.

She said she had read his books, including his first Why Not Be The Best? Ms Gordon said: "To this very moment, President and Mrs. Carter have given their best in their political life, their business life and in Habitat for Humanity, as well as ensuring free and fair elections throughout the world.'' Environment Minister Arthur Hodgson thanked Mr. Carter for helping launch a Bermuda branch of Habitat for Humanity, a ground-breaking scheme now operating all over the world to help lower-income families build and own their own homes.

He said he was "not a student of American presidents''.

But he added: "Of all those I've seen or heard about, President Carter is certainly the best. I don't just say that as a pro forma compliment.

Mr. Hodgson -- widely tipped to be the likely candidate to unseat Ms Smith as leader -- said there had been speculation in Bermuda "about who holds which office''.

But Mr. Hodgson added: "President Carter illustrates the importance of not being concerned with which office you hold, but rather how you hold the office.'' And he said: "When the US failed to re-elect him, it was their loss, but the world's gain. It's not the office you hold, but how you hold the office God Almighty assigns to us.''