President Saleh meets Vatican Pope John Paul II

VATICAN,(Saba) – President Ali Abdullah Saleh paid a visit on Friday to Vatican, met with the Pope John Paul II and discussed with him the relations between Yemen and the Vatican as well as the international and regional developments such as peace in the Middle East and fighting against terrorism. The Pontiff welcomed Saleh and the ccompanying delegation by saying “I thank you on your kind feelings which you expressed on behalf of the Yemeni people”. “The current state of instability in the Middle East region gave me a catalyst toto urge all men and women of bona fide to recognize the need to stampout terrorism” he said. “The peace and justice could be achieved only when people recognize the need for tolerance and mutual understanding”. On his part, President Saleh highly appreciated the role played by the Popein serving international peace and ending the Cold War as manifested by his historic visit to Poland. “We have the care about our relations with the Vatican,” Saleh confirmed. He made clear that “Yemen is a country of peaceful coexistence and dialogue of faiths, cultures and the civilizations.” NA/AA SABA