Pope seeks regional solutions to conflicts in Middle East

Vatican City: President George W. Bush said yesterday he felt "awe" in the presence of Pope Benedict, who urged the US leader to seek "regional and negotiated" solution to Middle East conflicts like Iraq.

"I was talking to a very smart, loving man," Bush said of his first talks with Benedict since he became Pope in 2005.

"After 6-1/2 years of being a president ... I've been to some unusual places and met some interesting people and I was in awe," Bush told a news conference in Rome. "It was a moving experience for me."

A Vatican statement said Benedict and Bush had discussed the Middle East and the Holy See's "hope for a regional and negotiated solution to the conflicts that afflict that region".

Bush also sought to reassure the pope over the plight of Iraq's Christians, less than a week after a priest and three deacons were murdered. "I assured him we were working hard to make sure that people lived up to the constitution" calling for religious tolerance.