Pope arrives in Kazakstan

ASTANA, Kazakstan -- Protected by massive security, Pope John Paul II arrived Saturday in this mostly Muslim nation and was welcomed as a voice of reason in the tense climate in Central Asia following the terrorist attacks in the United States.

John Paul made no specific mention of the Sept. 11 attacks or of the U.S. military buildup to strike back -- most likely in nearby Afghanistan -- but he expressed "my good wishes ... to all people of good will" who promote peace.

In a speech at the airport, the pope also stressed that political controversies should be settled through dialogue, not force.

President Nursultan Nazarbayev thanked the pope for going ahead with the visit despite the "troubled situation in the world" and praised him for stressing that religion should not be blamed for the attacks, "thus protecting the world from Islamophobia."

"The tragedy that happened in the United States presents a threat of division and confrontation between civilizations and religions," he said.

Thousands of black-bereted riot police and security agents lined the main streets of Astana, with agents standing every 50 feet along the route of the pope's motorcade.

Snipers, masks, a cannon

Hours before John Paul arrived, an armored personnel carrier fitted with a small cannon and carrying snipers in black balaclava masks pulled up to a memorial he planned to visit -- a sign of the "unprecedented" security measures Kazak officials promised to take in this sleepy Central Asian capital.

Authorities in the former Soviet republics that lie between Russia and Afghanistan have expressed concerns about militant Islam. Nazarbayev predicted last year that Afghanistan's hard-line Taliban rulers and Osama bin Laden, now the prime suspect in the U.S. terrorist attacks, would target Kazakstan and the Central Asian region in the coming years.

Kazakstan does not border Afghanistan.

The Vatican denied reports that it had asked for or received assurances that U.S. forces would hold off in an attack during John Paul's six-day stay in Kazakstan and Armenia.

Papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls told reporters aboard the plane that the Vatican had taken no special security precautions for the trip and that there had been "no direct or indirect" threats against the pope.

The frail 81-year-old pontiff was severely stooped as he descended from his plane, with aides close by to assist him. He blessed a basket of Kazak soil presented by two women in traditional embroidered costumes.

The pope's hands trembled and his voice was slurred, symptoms of Parkinson's disease. A small podium placed on his lap toppled, and Nazarbayev bent down and retrieved the pages of John Paul's speech.

"I greet the Islamic leaders and faithful, who boast a long religious tradition in this region," the pope said. Kazakstan's top Islamic leader, the grand mufti, was among the dignitaries.