Syrian official source and al-Assad- Katsav shake hands

A Syrian information source said Friday that during Pope John Paul II's funeral, the ceremony and the rites necessitate the participants to shake hands formally. "Mr. Katsav turned to President Bashar al-Assad who was standing amid a host of leaders and presidents and shook hands with him without exchanging any verbal phrases," the source told the Syrian Arab News Agency SANA in reaction to what has been reported by media.

"This was an incidental case and had no political implications ... it doesn't change Syria's stance which is based on the firm announced principles," the source added.