Fortess Rome greets Bush

2004-06-04 11:17

Rome - Police turned Rome into a fortress on Friday as anti-war protesters pledged to give US President George W. Bush a heated reception during his 36-hour visit which includes talks with Pope John Paul II and Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Carabinieri police saturated the historic city centre, with heavy concentrations of the paramilitary force along the main thoroughfares and piazzas, as well as bridges, rail stations and airports. Helicopters droned in the sky overhead.

The interior ministry said at least 10 000 troops have been mobilised.

Early morning traffic in the city centre was notably lighter as many people stayed away from possible flashpoints. The US state department on Thursday issued a warning to American citizens living in Italy to stay away from crowded areas.

About a thousand demonstrators arrived in Rome by train early on Friday to join the street protests scheduled for mid-afternoon, rail authorities said.

Bush and his wife Laura, who arrived at Rome's Ciampino airport shortly after midnight, spent the night at the US ambassador Mel Sembler's heavily guarded residence in the leafy Parioli suburb of the city. Nearby roads were closed to traffic.

The Bush motorcade was set to roll at 11:00 (09:00 GMT) with a visit to Italian counterpart Carlo Azeglio Ciampi at the Quirinale Palace his first stop.

The highlight of the visit, an audience with Pope John Paul II to discuss their differences over Bush's Iraq policy, was scheduled for noon.

Bush is to present the 84-year-old pontiff with the Congressional Medal of Honour, his country's highest civilian honour, the Vatican said.

The US president was due to attend a wreath-laying ceremony in the afternoon at the Ardeatine Caves outside Rome, the site of one of Italy's worst massacres of civilians at the hands of the Nazis. The ceremony is part of the 60th anniversary commemoration of the liberation of Rome by allied forces, the official reason for the Bush visit.

Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who said on Thursday he feared anti-war protests could turn violent, is to host Bush at a gala dinner on Friday evening.

- AP