BRIAN MURPHY, Istanbul November 30 2006
Al Qaeda in Iraq yesterday denounced the Pope's visit to Turkey, calling it part of a "crusader campaign" against Islam. The Vatican said the comments showed the need to fight violence in the name of religion.
The trip is Benedict XVI's first to an Islamic country as pontiff, seeking dialogue with Muslims who were angered by a speech in September in which he cited a medieval text that linked Islam and violence.
Al Qaeda in Iraq, that nation's most feared Islamic militant group, posted its statement on a militant website.
"The Pope's visit, in fact, is to consolidate the crusader campaign against the lands of Islam after the failure of the crusader leaders [in Iraq and Afghanistan] . . . and an attempt to extinguish the burning ember of Islam inside our Turkish brothers," it said.
It said the Pope wanted to ensure Turkey remained secular and was "driven into the arms of the European Union to stop the spread of Islam".
The statement did not include any threat to the Pope, saying only that the group was "confident in the defeat of Rome in all parts of the Islamic world".
The Vatican said the denunciation showed the need for faiths to unite against violence.
"This type of message shows once again the urgency and importance of a common commitment of all forces against violence," said the Rev Federico Lombardi, a Vatican spokesman. "It also shows the need of various faiths to say 'no' to violence in the name of God."
The Pope's four-day pilgrimage to Turkey was seen as a sign of its increasing engagement with the West at a time when it is involved in EU accession talks.
The European Commission, however, dealt a sharp blow yesterday to Turkey's hopes of joining the European Union, recommending a partial suspension of talks after Ankara refused to open its ports to Cyprus.
The EU executive said negotiations could not be concluded until the Cyprus trade dispute was resolved.
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan called the recommendation "unacceptable".
Britain, Turkey's strongest EU ally, called it "disappointingly tough". Prime Minister Tony Blair had earlier said the EU should not send a negative signal to Turkey as this could be "a serious mistake for Europe long-term".
"We confirm these negotiations must continue, although at slower pace," EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said yesterday. EU foreign ministers will decide whether to back the recommendation on December 11.