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VATICAN/ISRAEL: (ANSA) - Vatican City, December 14 - Leah Rabin, widow of assassinated Israeli Premier Yitzhak Rabin, met Pope John Paul II in a half-hour private audience here just after noon.
Her two children Dalia and Yuval were also present for that meeting, which took place in the Pope's personal library and which was characterized as a 'personal,' not official, meeting.
Leah Rabin invited the Pope to visit Jerusalem (''an invitation I have already accepted'' the pontiff said, adding ''the details of the trip remained to defined.'')
She will hold a press conference at 15.30 at Rome's Grand Hotel, winding up a two-day visit.
Yesterday, Rabin attended a special memorial ceremony in honor of her slain husband. ''The assassination of Rabin will not halt the peace train,'' she said in an arrival statement, adding she had no plans to enter politics intended to pursue her husband's peace aims, including a peace agreement ''with all Israel's former enemies, Syria included''.
The death of her husband, shot by an Israeli extremist at a peace rally in Tel Aviv November 4th, came at a time of high tension and rocked ''the entire world,'' but just over a month later, the situation in Israel had ''totally changed'' and there was much more backing for the peace process, she said.
Among appointments on her Rome agenda was a meeting with Maria Pia Fanfani, president of the Together for Peace Foundation, the same group that recently awarded Yitzhak Rabin the ''Man for Peace Award''.
Last night Rabin and her children attended a commemoration ceremony for Yitzhak Rabin at the Rome Opera House in the presence of Head of State Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, Rome Mayor Francesco Rutelli and Israeli Ambassador Yehuda Millo.
Israeli-born maestro Daniel Oren conducted music by Beethoven, Bruch and Verdi, and
Israeli singer Noa performed ''Hareut'' (Friendship), and ''Shir Las Shalom'' (Song for
Peace), which was sung at the Tel Aviv peace rally shortly before the assassination. |
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