Ramos arrives from European trip

Ramos arrives from European trip

MANILA (AFP): Philippine President Fidel Ramos returned yesterday from a nine-day trip to Europe hailing it as a success in terms of convincing investors to cash in on his nation's promising economic growth and forging bilateral ties.

Ramos arrived in the central city of Cebu aboard a Philippine Airlines jet from Frankfurt, Germany -- the last leg of his tour that also took him to Italy, Spain, France and Belgium over nine days. He flew to Manila later yesterday.

The largely Roman Catholic Philippines' first Protestant leader also visited the Vatican and had an audience with Pope John Paul II in his summer retreat outside Rome.

Ramos, a former general, said he was able to penetrate the "mental map of Europe's leaders, investors traders, financiers, employers and travelers" to repair the Philippines' image as a country plagued by coup attempts, a power crisis and poverty.