VATICAN: POPE'S FLU SYMPTOMS ALMOST GONE (ANSA) - Vatican City, December 26 - The pope is feeling much better today and the flu-induced indispostion, consisting of a slight fever and nausea, that forced him to interrupt his Christmas greetings yesterday has almost entirely disappeared, Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro Valls reported. In fact, the pope celebrated mass in his private chapel early this morning and after a light breakfast was checked over by his physician, Dr. Renato Buzzonetti, who found that while he was still running a very slight fever, his condition had much improved. (MORE). HE 26-DIC-95 12:33 IRAN/VATICAN: RAFSANJANI SENDS GREETINGS TO POPE, CHRISTIANS (ANSA) - Tehran, December 26 - Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has sent a message of Christmas greetings to the pope and to Christians everywhere, the official Irna news agency reported here today. The head of state voiced the hope that, in keeping with divine religious teachings, all nations of the world would work to eliminate from the face of the earth - crime, corruption, injustice, oppression and domination, Irna reported. On Saturday, Jomhuri Eslami (Islamic Republic), an Iranian daily close to the most conservative elements of the government, sharply criticized the pope for having granted an audience to Leah rabin, widow of assassinated Israeli Premier Yitzhak Rabin. In an editorial the daily claimed that the Catholic Church had ''totally aligned itself with the colonialist politics'' of the world's power-brokers. Irna today said that Rafsanjani had also sent season's greetings to the heads of states of all Christian countries, wishing them ''a prosperous New Year'' that would bring ''peace and serenity''. HE 26-DIC-95 12:48 SOMALIA/ITALY: ITALIAN HOSTAGE; AIDID-BERSANI ENCOUNTER (ANSA) - Nairobi, December 26 - An encounter dialogue is underway today at Baidowa (250 km northwest of Mogadishu), between General Mohammed Arah Aidid (self-proclaimed president of Somalia) and Giovanni Bersani, president of the European Agrarian Information Consortium (Cefa), the non-governmental organization for whom Italian agronomist Marco Lorenzetti, 35, was working when he was kidnapped on December 18 on the outskirts of the Somali capital. Bersani left Nairobi this morning for Baidoa (conquered by Aidid's militia in September) aboard a plane placed at his disposition by the United Nations' World Food Program. Sources in Mogadishu reached telephonically from Nairobi confirmed that the meeting was underway but could provide no information as to the outcome of the talks so far, although it is hoped that the encounter will prove decisive in obtaining Lorenzetti's release. The Italian was taken from Mogadishu to Baidoa on Friday where his kidnappers (belonging to the Saad clan, a smaller branch of the Haber-Ghedir clan to which Aidid belongs) handed him over to Aidid's police force. (MORE). HE 26-DIC-95 13:12 SOMALIA/ITALY: ITALIAN HOSTAGE; AIDID-BERSANI ENCOUNTER (2) Without making a reference to the kidnapping, a spokesman for Aidid this morning said that Lorenzetti has been arrested by security forces on December 18 in southern Mogadishu (under Aidid's control) because he had entered Somalia without an entry visa. The Cefa president had received a letter signed by Ahmed Abdikarim Nur, the director general of Aidid's presidency, fixing an appointment for a meeting at midday today to discuss the case. Lorenzetti and his bodyguards were reportedly aboard a jeep heading north to Giohar, about 100km from Mogadishu, where the agronomist was to start work on a grain production project. One of the guards was killed in the ambush while the other was wounded and is currently in hospital in another section of the capital under the control of Aidid's chief rival, former interim president Ali Mahdi Mohamed. In February 1994 two Italian Cefa workers were released on payment of a ransom after a short time in the hands of one of the militia groups. On November 8 another Cefa volunteer was stopped by forces loyal to Aidid at an airport some 50km from Mogadishu, but released the day after. (END). HE 26-DIC-95 13:13 VATICAN: POPE'S FLU SYMPTOMS ALMOST GONE (2) At midday, the pope felt well enough to go ahead with the traditional Angelus blessing from the window of his private study which overlooks St. Peter's square. When he appeared at the window, the thousands of people gathered below broke into lengthy applause and he thanked them warmly for their assiduity, prayers and good wishes. Navarro Valls later announced that the pope would not be going to Castel Gandolfo as originally planned but would remain for the next two days resting in his apartments in the Vatican. However, the remainder of the papal program through the end of the year would remain unchanged, the spokesman said. On Sunday, December 31, the pope will again impart the noontime Angelus blessing in St. Peter's Square and that afternoon will travel by car to the Gesu, the principal Jesuit church in Rome for the magnificent Te Deum thanksgiving service traditionally sung there at the end of every year. On January 1st, a papal mass will be held in St. Peter's to mark World Peace Day. (END). HE 26-DIC-95 13:35 VATICAN/ITALY: DINI SENDS GET WELL WISHES TO POPE (ANSA) - Rome, December 26 - Premier Lamberto Dini sent a message to the John Paul II, through Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, wishing the pope a quick recovery from the flu symptoms which forced him on Christmas day to break off his traditional Urbi and Orbi message (to the city and to the world). The premier voiced his own best wishes and those of the Italian people who ''see the untiring apostolate of the Holy Father as precious for the world''. While the pope managed to deliver his traditional Christmas message from the window of his study overlooking St. Peter's Square Monday, he was forced to break off giving the concluding wishes in various languages because of what the Vatican called ''a slight indisposition due to fever.'' Twenty minutes later he reappeared at the window to reassure the faithful that he was better and repeated his Christmas greetings. The pope had already appeared somewhat fatigued at the end of the traditional midnight mass in St.Peter's, and his doctors ordered him to miss this morning's mass in the basilica. However, today the pope was said to be much better and he delivered the noon blessing from his study window overlooking St. Peter's Square. (See separate story). HE 26-DIC-95 13:52 VATICAN: PAPAL ENCOUNTERS AND TRIPS FOR 1996 AND BEYOND (ANSA) - Vatican City, December 26 - John Paul II will be making four, and possibly five, international trips in 1996. On January 20, he is to receive French President Jacques Chirac in an official audience in Vatican City and on February 5th, he will leave for a week-long trip to Latin America, stopping in Guatemala, Salvador, Nicaragua and Venezuela - all for the second time. He will next leave Italian soil on May 17 when he goes to Slovenia and expects to celebrate his seventy-sixth birthday the following day among the Alpine heights above Ljubljana, a landscape similar to that of the Tatras in Poland where he was born at Wadowice in 1920. The third papal trip abroad will take place in June when the makes his first visit to Berlin. His June itinerary will also take him to several Hungarian cities on the Danube, like Budapest, Gyor and Pannonhalma - the latter the site of a venerable Benedictine monastery. The Pope is scheduled to visit France in September 1996 for the 16th centenary of St. Martin and the 15th centenary of the baptism at the Rheims cathedral of the Frankish King Clovis, which marked the Christianization of France. (MORE). HE 26-DIC-95 14:49 VATICAN: PAPAL ENCOUNTERS AND TRIPS FOR 1996 AND BEYOND (2) John Paul is also slated to appear at World Youth Day in Paris in the summer of 1997. The pope is also very keen to visit the martyred city of Sarajevo but no date has as yet been set. He had planned to go to the Bosnian capital in the fall of 1994 but the trip was postponed because of a flare-up in the fighting there. It is now hoped that he will be able to make the trip in spring, around Easter-time. There are also important trips the pope wants to make to prepare for the Great Jubilee at the turn of the century. These include travels to Jerusalem and other sites in the Holy Land such as Bethlehem, Nazareth, the Sinai, and possibly, to Cairo and Damascus as well. There is some hope that these trips may be possible in 1997 but much will depend on the progress made in the Mideast peace process. John Paul must also set the dates for three synods for bishops serving the continents of America, Asia and Austrialia. He has also vowed to travel to Lebanon to outline the conclusions of the special Synod on Lebanon which recently concluded in Vatican City. However, security guarantees for a papal visit to Lebanon have still not been forthcoming. (END). HE 26-DIC-95 14:49 SOMALIA/ITALY: ITALIAN HOSTAGE FREED (SUPERSEDES PREVIOUS) (ANSA) - Nairobi, December 26 - Italian agronomist Marco Lorenzetti, 35, who was kidnapped in the Somali capital of Mogadishu on December 18, was released this afternoon and is on his way to Nairobi. The release was made known by local sources in Mogadishu who were contacted by telephone from Nairobi. (MORE). HE 26-DIC-95 14:59 SOMALIA/ITALY: ITALIAN HOSTAGE FREED (SUPERSEDES PREVIOUS) (2) Soon afterward, the Italian foreign ministry in Rome confirmed the safe release of the agronomist and said that Lorenzetti was expected in Nairobi between 1800 and 1830 this afternoon. When she heard the news, Italian Foreign Minister Susanna Agnelli voiced her great satisfaction and relief over the positive outcome. It was not immediatley known if any conditions were posed for the agronomist's release which came after today's encounter at Baidowa (250 km northwest of Mogadishu), between General Mohammed Arah Aidid (self-proclaimed president of Somalia) and Giovanni Bersani, president of the European Agrarian Information Consortium (Cefa), the non-governmental organization for whom Lorenzetti was working when he was kidnapped a week ago Monday at Gubadley, a village six km northeast of the Somali capital. Bersani had left Nairobi this morning for Baidoa (conquered by Aidid's militia in September) after receiving a letter signed by Ahmed Abdikraim Nur, the director general of Aidid's presidency, fixing an appointment with the warlord at midday today. The Cefa president arrived for the rendezvous aboard a plane placed at his disposition by the United Nations' World Food Program and it is apparently this same plane that is flying Lorenzetti to Nairobi. (MORE). HE 26-DIC-95 15:54 SOMALIA/ITALY: ITALIAN HOSTAGE FREED (SUPERSEDES PREVIOUS) (3) In the ambush, which occured as Lorenzetti and two bodyguards were aboard a jeep heading north to Giohar, about 100km from Mogadishu, where the agronomist was to start work on a grain production project, one of the guards was killed. The other was wounded and is currently in hospital in another section of the capital under the control of Aidid's chief rival, former interim president Ali Mahdi Mohamed. In February 1994 two Italian Cefa workers were released on payment of a ransom after a short time in the hands of one of the militia groups. On November 8 another Cefa volunteer was stopped by forces loyal to Aidid at an airport some 50km from Mogadishu, but released the day after. (END). HE 26-DIC-95 15:55 .