Rome - Pope John Paul's long-desired trip to Iraq, part of a planned millennium tour of the Holy Land, has been cancelled, writes Paddy Agnew. In a brief statement yesterday, senior Vatican spokesman Dr Joaquin Navarro-Valls said the Holy See had been informed by the Iraqi government that it could not adequately organise the trip because of the United Nations embargo on Iraq and the air exclusion zone over part of the country.
"The Iraqi authorities have informed the Secretary of State that the anomalous conditions in which Iraq currently finds itself because of the `embargo' and `no-fly zone', as well as the current situation in the region, do not allow them to adequately organise a visit by the Holy Father . . .", said Dr Navarro-Valls.