President Katsav and Iranian President Mohammed Khatami greeting Jordan's King Abdullah at the Pope's funeral in the Vatican on Friday. (Reuters)

Katsav: Handshakes were a matter of being polite By Yoav Stern , Haaretz Correspondent, and The Associated Press and Haaretz Service President Moshe Katsav told Channel Two television Friday that his handshakes with Syrian President Bashar Assad and Iranian President Mohammed Khatami were a matter of being polite, and had no policy implications.