Powell in talks with Pope on peace

US Secretary of State Colin Powell met with Pope John Paul II yesterday for discussions on Iraq, the Middle East and Africa, although little has emerged on the tenor of their talks.

Powell held a 20-minute, one-on-one meeting with the Pontiff, before hour-long talks with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano, and the Vatican's equivalent of foreign minister, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran.

US and Vatican spokesmen said the talks touched on a broad range of topics, from Middle East peace efforts and Iraqi reconstruction to poverty aid and Zimbabwe, but no mention was made of any expected bid by Powell to repair strained ties with the Vatican.

The Pope actively campaigned against the US-led war in Iraq, and last year urged US President George W Bush to do more to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Powell flew from Rome to Egypt to prepare the way for President Bush's participation in two Middle East summits this week.

His visit was aimed at building support for the Middle East peace initiative, as well as reconstruction of post-war Iraq.

Vatican backing for the Mideast plan which calls for the creation of a Palestinian state by 2005 is seen as crucial, as the church has vested interests in the future of Jerusalem and other local sites of Biblical importance.