Bin Laden's Son Hopes To Meet Pope Benedict XVI

Omar Osama bin Laden, the estranged son of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, has said he wants to meet Pope Benedict XVI and visit the Vatican.

Omar bin Laden, 26, expressed his wish to meet the pontiff in an interview with Italian private television station LA7 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 describes himself as a practicing Muslim.

Omar bin Laden accompanied by his wife Zaina Alsabah arrived in Rome from Switzerland on Monday amid tight security, news reports said.

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

During the television interview, Omar - one of 19 children believed to have been fathered by Osama bin Laden - also said he thinks the leader of the al-Qaeda terrorist network is still alive.

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

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.

On Monday the activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) urged Omar bin Laden, to cancel plans for a gruelling horse race across the Sahara desert as a way to promote peace.

Along with wife Zaina, bin Laden is planning a 5 000 kilometre horse race across North Africa that is scheduled to begin in March.

He said he envisioned the race as an equine version of the Paris-Dakar car rally, which was cancelled this year because of terrorist threats.

"This is a noble intention. However, we ask that you please reconsider your idea," PETA said in a message. (Independent Online)
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