Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf arrived in Rome on Tuesday for talks with Italian officials and an audience with Pope John Paul II. Musharraf flew in from the Netherlands. His opening schedule for the state visit included a stop at the presidential palace for a meeting with his Italian counterpart, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, and an address to a trade and investment conference. He will also meet with Premier Silvio Berlusconi and go to the Vatican on Thursday. The talks are expected to focus on bilateral relations with Italy and the strengthening of economic ties as well as global issues including the fight against terrorism and Iraq and Afghanistan, which neighbors Pakistan.
