RABAT, May 26, 2010 (AFP) British pop star Elton John promised a memorable performance at yesterday's Rabat music festival, after Morocco's main Islamic party had called for the gay singer to be banned.

In a statement transmitted to AFP by the artistic director of the international Mawazine festival Aziz Daki, John said he would do his best to make his concert a memorable one.

Touching down in his private jet at the capital city's airport, John said he was proud and honoured to perform in Morocco, and had been waiting a long time for the opportunity to play here, the statement said.

Morocco's main opposition Islamist Justice and Development Party had called for the singer to be banned from the festival, arguing his appearance would pose "a risk of encouraging homosexuality in Morocco".

But Daki stood by his choice and said cancelling the concert on the grounds of John's homosexuality would "undermine the respect of privacy" and "breach certain values that the international Mawazine festival is based on".