TURKEY:Turkish security teams took up positions around the cities of Ankara and Istanbul yesterday, a day before Pope Benedict XVI begins his first visit to a predominantly Muslim country.
There were small protests in both cities, but authorities say security measures for the pope - who angered Muslims with comments in September on Islam and violence - will be tighter than they were for the visit of US president George Bush.
Benedict is to arrive at Ankara airport tomorrow at around noon, where he will briefly meet Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who waited until yesterday to announce that he would make time to meet the pope.
Reports say some 3,000 police officers have been assigned to guard the pope upon his arrival in the dusty, sprawling capital, Ankara.
Snipers will watch from hillsides and tall buildings, and armoured vehicles and riot police will be stationed near the areas he is scheduled to visit. Police were also mobilising and staking out spots in Istanbul, where Benedict will spend most of his four days in Turkey.
"We have taken all the necessary measures and observations of the route the pope [ will travel] and the places the pope will visit," Istanbul police spokesman Ismail Caliskan said.
Today, a group of around 100 pro-Islamic demonstrators displayed what they said were a million signatures for a petition demanding that the Haghia Sophia in Istanbul, now a museum, be declared a mosque and opened to worship for Muslims. The pope is expected to visit the site during his visit to the city.
The Haghia Sophia was built in the sixth century as a Christian church, but was converted to a mosque in 1453 when Islamic armies conquered the city, until then a Christian metropolis called Constantinople.
In a speech on Sunday, Benedict said he was coming to Turkey as a friend of the Turks and asked his followers to pray for him. That same day, more than 25,000 Turks showed up to a mass anti-Vatican protest in Istanbul.
Turkish justice minister Cemil Cicek said the visit was an opportunity for improved relations between the Christian and Muslim worlds. "We would want this visit to be a cornerstone for [ relations] between the two worlds," Mr Cicek said after a cabinet meeting yesterday.
"Turkey is a country that is recognised worldwide for its tolerance and its hospitality. This is an opportunity for [ Turkey] to display these qualities," he said.
Mr Cicek said the protests were not directed toward the papacy, but toward the pope's comments on Islam.
After spending tomorrow night in Ankara, Pope Benedict will visit Ephesus and Istanbul, where he will meet Bartholomew I, the Istanbul-based leader of the world's 300 million Orthodox Christians.