Gabon's Bongo to meet pope

2009-12-09 15:06

Libreville - Gabon President Ali Bongo Ondimba will meet Pope Benedict XVI this week as part of a trip to Italy which also included talks with Italian oil group ENI, local media said on Wednesday.

Bongo, who recently succeeded his late father as president of the oil-rich African nation, arrived in Rome on Tuesday, Gabon-Matin newspaper reported.

Bongo, who is Muslim, was to meet with bishops on Wednesday ahead of his audience with the pope at the Vatican on Thursday.

Local media provided few details of the meeting, with news website Gabonews reporting that it "should allow the Gabonese state and the Catholic Church to strengthen their old relations stretching back some 40 years".

Bongo left Gabon for Italy on December 4 and has met officials from energy group ENI in Milan, Gabon-Matin reported. He also visited a factory belonging to helicopter company Agusta.

The reports did not say whether any new deals were signed during the visits.

The former French colony signed six exploration and production-sharing contracts with ENI in December 2008.

French group Total and Dutch-Anglo Shell have the largest oil operations in Gabon.

- AFP