Pope calls for dialogue to overcome conflicts

Pope Benedict met Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki yesterday and called for dialogue to overcome conflicts, in an apparent reference to Tehran's standoff with the West over its atomic programme. The comments came on the day that Iran's parliament passed a bill obliging the government to "revise" the level of its cooperation with the IAEA nuclear watchdog and urging President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to "accelerate Iran's nuclear activities".

The Vatican said in a statement that the Pope exchanged "warm wishes" with Mr Mottaki.

"The problems of people are always resolved through dialogue, mutual comprehension and in peace," the Vatican said.

Mr Mottaki, during a private audience with the leader of the world's one billion Roman Catholics, delivered a letter to the Pope from Mr Ahmadinejad.

"The message is completely non-political," Ehsan Jahandideh, a presidential office spokesman was quoted as saying by Iran's Isna students news agency.

"The president has emphasised in the message that cooperation of divine religions will help resolving problems of mankind," it said.

In his message for the Catholic Church's World Day of Peace, celebrated on January 1, the Pope expressed concern that more countries wanted to become nuclear powers. He did not specifically mention Iran or North Korea.

He said the desire of some states to acquire nuclear weapons had thrown humanity back to the "profound anxieties of the Cold War period".

The US Security Council voted unanimously on Saturday to impose sanctions on Iran's trade in sensitive nuclear materials and technology, in an attempt to stop uranium enrichment work that could produce material that could be used in bombs.

Iran denies it is seeking nuclear weapons.