US - Israeli objection to pope's visit to Iraq

The Patriarch of Babel for the Catholic Keldans, Raphael Bedawid, said on Thursday that the Americans and Israelis are trying relentlessly to prevent the visit of Pope John Paul II to Iraq, scheduled for the beginning of December.

Bedawid added that the Americans and Israelis are objecting the visit despite assertions made repeatedly by the Pope that his visit is religious and has no political intentions and that it aims at conveying a message of amity, love and salvation.

In the Vatican, the official spokesman for the Vatican said the Pope is strongly desirous to visit the Middle East, including a visit to Iraq.

Pope John Paul II has repeatedly called for lifting the embargo imposed on Iraq and criticised the use of power against this country.