ITALY: ROME: FIDEL CASTRO ARRIVES FOR WORLD FOOD SUMMIT

Описание: (16 Nov 1996) Natural Sound

Cuban leader Fidel Castro arrived early Saturday in Rome for the World Food Summit and a likely meeting with Pope John Paul II.

The encounter between the long-ruling Communist leader and the stalwart anti- Communist Pope, would be a major step toward a historic papal visit to Cuba.

It is the only Latin American country that John Paul has not visited during his 18-year pontificate.

Fidel Castro landed at about 1:30 a.m. (0030 GMT) aboard a Soviet-era Ilyushin-62 at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport.

He touched down a day later than expected with bad weather and technical problems grounding him in Cuba.

Wearing green military dress, Castro walked down a red carpet past reporters toward a dark blue limousine.

Smiling and waving, he only said Good evening, refusing to answer shouted questions.

Castro could address the summit Saturday or Sunday, its final day.

But the main focus of his actions in Rome is his expected audience with the Roman Catholic pontiff across the Tiber in the Vatican.

It was not clear when they would meet, but it could happen Monday.

It would be considered extraordinary for the Pope to meet with a foreign leader on a Sunday, the Christian Sabbath.

The chief Vatican spokesman, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, said Friday they were still awaiting a formal request from Castro for a meeting.

The pope and Castro have never met.

The Pope opened the summit by denouncing the use of economic embargoes and sanctions.

Cuba's Communist government has been under a U.S. embargo since 1962.

A Castro visit to the Holy See has been carefully prepared.

The Vatican recently has made several gestures to pave the way, issuing its first public attack on the Helms-Burton law, which President Clinton signed in March.

The controversial law is designed to discourage foreign companies from doing business with Cuba.

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