Yosef Ciechan-over, the Director General of the Foreign Ministry, who left today for an extended tour of several European and Latin American countries, met today in Rome with Pope John Paul II for 45 minutes. Officials in Jerusalem said the two men, who met alone, had discussed the peace process in the Middle East, with the Israeli diplomat reporting to the Pope on the negotiations that led to the peace treaty with Egypt. the officials added that the two men also “discussed issues connected with human rights in various parts of the world.”
Ciechanover delivered to the Pope a letter from President Yitzhak Navon. Its contents were not revealed, but the speculation in Israel was that it included an invitation to the Pope to visit Jerusalem. The officials said the Pope and Ciechanover “agreed to continue the dialogue between Israel and the Holy See at the same high level in the future.” Ciechan over met later with Msgr. Cassaroli, the Vatican’s Foreign Minister.
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