Pope's
funeral: Italy bars LTTE
An LTTE request for it to send a delegation to the funeral of Pope
John Paul II on Friday was turned down by the Italian Foreign Ministry
this week.
LTTE
operatives in Europe had established contact with the Vatican and
the Italian Government to have a delegation from the rebel group
attend the funeral.
The
request for an 'invitation' came only a few days after an April
1 meeting the LTTE's official delegation led by its political wing
leader S.P. Thamilselvan had with Italian Foreign Ministry officials
as part of their European briefing tour.
Meanwhile,
the Sri Lanka government delegation for the funeral of the Pope
spent just one day in Rome before heading back home.
Prime
Minister Mahinda Rajapakse who led the delegation mingled with US
President George W. Bush and his father George H. Bush, former president
Bill Clinton, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, French President
Jacques Chirac, Jordan's King Abdullah and Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad and held brief discussions with Italian Prime Minister
Sylvio Berlusconi and Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
The
other members of the delegation were Trade Minister Jeyeraj Fernandopulle,
Christian Affairs Minister Milroy Fernando, ex-Speaker Joseph Michael
Perera and MP Naomal Perera.
Muslim
Congress leader Rauff Hakeem and JVP MP Wimal Weerawansa were originally
on the delegation, but opted out. |