Nothing to See Here - Move Along Please...

In the old BBC TV series, Yes Prime Minister, the death of a former PM provides a wonderful opportunity for high level international diplomacy, minus the expectations that accompany a summit. The death of the pope apparently provided just such an opportunity...
Haaretz - Katsav: Handshakes were a matter of being polite

President Moshe Katsav told Channel Two television Friday that his handshakes with Syrian President Bashar Assad and Iranian President Mohammed Khatami were a matter of being polite, and had no policy implications.

Katsav, who was at the Vatican as part of Israel's delegation to the funeral of Pope John Paul II, twice shook hands with Assad on Friday.

The two men were in close proximity to one another throughout the procession due to the fact that the Israel and Syrian delegations to the funeral were positioned next to one another.

Katsav said that it was Assad who initiated the handshake, and that he obliged. Syrian television Friday denied the two had shaken hands.

At the conclusion of funeral services, the Iranian-born Katsav also shook hands with President Mohammed Khatami. The two spoke for almost an hour in Farsi.