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.