Iranian leader meets the pope

Iran’s president pays a call on Pope Francis at the Vatican during a European visit aimed at positioning Tehran as a potential top player in efforts to resolve Middle East conflicts, including Syria’s civil war.

President Hassan Rouhani’s motorcade of limousines crosses St. Peter’s Square for the late-morning, closed-door meeting with the pontiff.

Before going to the Vatican, Rouhani tells a forum of business leaders in Rome that “Iran is the safest and most stable country of the entire region.”

He is making the first state visit by an Iranian president to Europe in nearly two decades.

Rouhani’s four-day visit to Italy and next, to France, is part of efforts by Iran to reach out to its old partners following the implementation of a nuclear deal with world powers, and Rouhani is eager for foreign investments after the lifting of international sanctions. The trip was originally planned for November but postponed by the attacks in Paris.

— AP