Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Bush May Meet Pope

Aired May 27, 2002 - 14:13   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: All, right now President Bush is in Rome for the final leg of his trip, and CNN's Alessio Vinci is there as well.

Alessio, there have been some questions about whether President Bush is going to be able to meet with the pope. What are you learning there?

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we do believe that the president will be meeting with the pope tomorrow evening at the end of his NATO meeting here in Rome. He will be meeting the pope at the Vatican.

The pope has just come back from a long trip, a five-day trip, to the former Soviet Republics of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and Bulgaria. He was very frail and sick throughout this trip.

We do believe that a meeting is still scheduled on, although Vatican officials are telling us that for the next couple of months, the travel schedule of the pope may be curtailed.

In the meantime, the president has arrived here, as I said, about two hours ago. He is meeting at this time with Italian P.M. Silvio Berlusconi, one of the most ardent supporters of the United States president here in Europe. And this meeting here tonight is an opportunity for the two leaders to cement their relationship and to discuss, especially, the situation in the Middle East, especially after this latest attack.

Italy wants very much to host a peace conference, something very difficult to imagine at this stage, given the situation ongoing now in the Middle East.

Of course, the focal point of this trip is the NATO meeting tomorrow. The 19 NATO leaders and Russia will sign -- will inaugurate a declaration of the new NATO-Russia Council, which is basically a new and improved relationship between the two former Cold War foes. There'll be cooperation, mainly in the field of counter-terrorism and peacekeeping operations as well as controlling proliferation and arms control.

Russia will not become a new NATO member, but it will give that country a greater voice inside NATO. Security, meanwhile, not just at the (UNINTELLIGIBLE), which is an airbase just outside of Rome, where the summit will take place, is extremely tight. The Italian government has mobilized thousands and thousands of policemen and soldiers to patrol that area. The navy, the air force and the army is patrolling the area. They're using even ground to surface air missile batteries to avoid a plane attack.

As a matter of fact, the airspace over Rome will be closed for the duration of the summit. Only international airlines, who will have sky marshals onboard, will be able to approach the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) airport just nearby the (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

Security also extremely tight here in Rome, in downtown. Entire areas have been sealed off, especially around the Villa (UNINTELLIGIBLE), which is the official residence of the United States ambassador here, and also where the president will be over-nighting in his stay here in Rome.

Back to you -- Carol.

LIN: All right. Thank you very much, Alessio Vinci, reporting live on the president's trip.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com