Italy: Bin Laden's son wants to meet Pope

Rome, 5 Feb.(AKI) - Omar bin Laden, son of the infamous al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has said he wants to meet Pope Benedict XVI and visit the Vatican.

Bin Laden, a 26-year old practising Muslim, spoke to the Italian TV network LA7 on its programme called, Nothing Personal, aired on Monday night.

" I would very much like to meet the Pope in St. Peter's, but I have been told that it is not easy," said bin Laden, who considers himself an ambassador for peace.

Bin Laden (photo) also wants to return to Italy in the future and visit the Vatican.

During the television interview, Omar also said that he did not believe his father is dead.

"I do not believe my father is dead, otherwise I would have known it; the world would have known it," said Omar.

Omar bin Laden is one of 19 children of the al-Qaeda leader, who tops US President Bush's most wanted list.

The younger bin Laden said in previous interviews that a truce between the West and al-Qaeda is possible.

He arrived in Rome from Switzerland, amid tight security, accompanied by his wife Zaina.

Zaina is a 52 year-old British divorcee and Muslim convert, previously known as Jane Felix-Browne. The couple currently lives in Cairo, Egypt.

Zaina is Omar bin Laden's second wife, as he also has a wife in Saudi Arabia.

Under Islamic law, men can have up to four wives provided the man treats them all equally.

In a previous interview recorded in Cairo by an Italian TV network, in January, bin Laden said he had not seen his father for several years.

"The last time I saw my father was in 2000, 2001. I was in Saudi Arabia and felt a terrible sorrow for all the victims," of the September 11 attacks he said.

"My father has a kind heart," said Omar bin Laden.

Osama bin Laden's whereabouts remain unknown. He is accused of being behind a number of atrocities, including the 1998 bombing of two US embassies in East Africa and the mastermind of the attacks on New York and Washington on September 11 2001.

His al-Qaeda network has been linked indirectly to bombings on the island of Bali in Indonesia and its capital Jakarta, as well as suicide attacks in north Africa and Turkey.


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