Top Vatican Diplomat Meets Afghan Ex-King

Voice of America, November 27, 2001

A top diplomat from the Vatican has met with former Afghan King Zahir Shah for talks aimed at conveying church support for a negotiated peace in Afghanistan.

Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro Valls said Holy See Foreign Minister Jean-Louis Tauran met with the 87-year-old king Monday at his home in Rome.

The spokesman said both officials agreed that arms alone will not ease the plight of the Afghan people, who have endured years of war and severe drought.

The meeting came ahead of international talks on Afghanistan's future, which began Tuesday in Germany. The king is being seen as a unifying factor at the talks.

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