Pope, Vietnamese P.M. meet

VATICAN CITY, Jan. 26 (UPI) -- Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has become the first Vietnamese leader to make an official visit to the Vatican.

The prime minister and Pope Benedict XVI spent 25 minutes together in a private meeting Thursday, the Italian news agency ANSA reported. The meeting could be the first step in diplomatic ties between Vietnam and the Vatican.

About 8 percent of Vietnam's population is Roman Catholic, but the religion has tended in the past to be associated with French colonialism. While the government is officially atheist, many Vietnamese retain their traditional Buddhist beliefs.

In an official statement on the meeting, the Vatican said it hopes remaining problems between the church and Vietnam can be "confronted and resolved through existing channels."