TURKEY / IN AIR: Turkish PM says Pope backs Turkey's EU entry bid following meeting with pontiff in Ankara; Security on high alert in capital and Istanbul

Pope Benedict landed in Italy on Tuesday (November 28) and was warmly greeted by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan, who long delayed saying whether he would even meet the German-born Pontiff, greeted Pope Benedict with smiles as he stepped off his plane and had a short conversation with him at the airport about dialogue between religions and cultures. Erdogan also said that the pontiff told him he supported Ankara's bid to join the European Union. Benedict before his 2005 election as Pope had opposed Turkey's EU ambitions. On board his aircraft, before landing in Turkey, the Pope told journalists,''This is not a political visit, it is a pastoral visit and as a pastoral visit its definition is the determination of a dialogue and a common drive for peace." After talks with Erdogan, the pontiff visited the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Turkish Republic. Protesters in Ankara marched and chanted denouncing the Pope's visit. Some waved placards comparing the Pope to Satan. Benedict travelled to Turkey for the four-day visit with two strikes against him, his well-known opposition to Turkish EU membership and his September speech that many Muslims said insulted Islam. He has said the speech was misunderstood but has not apologised for it. The visit by the leader of 1.1 billion Roman Catholics was originally intended to be a pre-eminently Christian event but it has taken on wider political ramifications in Western-Islamic relations, Catholic-Muslim relations and Turkey's own desire to be part of Europe. Security was heavy for Benedict's first visit to the Muslim world, with sharpshooters on the roof of the arrivals building and troops guarding the airport both in Ankara and Istanbul, where the Pope will visit later this week. About 8,000 police have been posted to protect the Pope and prevent any unsanctioned protests. While in Istanbul the Pope will visit the Blue Mosque, becoming only the second pontiff to ever enter a mosque. He'll meet Islamic and Jewish leaders as well as the heads of Turkey's Christian communities.

ITN Source | November 28, 2006

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