Brussels, 08/02/2006 (Agence Europe) - CFSP High Representative for the EU, Javier Solana, is expected to visit several Arab countries next week in an attempt to calm the situation down following the violent protests provoked by publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohamed in Denmark (which go back to last year: Editor's note). Javier Solana, quoted by AFP, declared, “I would like to take the week of 13 February, the whole week, to travel to different countries, to meet political leaders and social leaders as well”. Solana warned that, “relations between EU citizens and citizens of the Arab world have developed through much hard work over the years and this should not be played with”. On Wednesday afternoon, Mr Solana's cabinet confirmed that the trip was being prepared but did not say what the different stages of the visit would be”. However, it does appear that the High Representative will at the very least be visiting Jeddah in Saudi Arabia to meet the Secretary General of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, as well as Egypt, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Territories. On Tuesday, the Austrian minister for foreign affairs at the EU, Ursula Plassnik also called for “moderate forces from all sides” to take things in hand to resuming dialogue.
On Wednesday, Austrian Chancellor and president of the European Council, Wolfgang Schüssel, said that he was shocked by the launch in Iran of a competition of cartoons of the holocaust and by publication of pictures on this theme on a Muslim immigrant organisation website (Arab-European League) based at Antwerp in Belgium. In a press statement published on behalf of the EU-25, Mr Schüssel stated “These cartoons throw into question facts that have so far been disputed in large parts of the Muslim world. I call on all concerned to end this spiral of reciprocal provocations and insults. Neither disparaging caricatures of Mohamed nor the denial of the Holocaust or shameful jokes about the Holocaust have any place in a world where cultures and religions should live side by side in a spirit of mutual respect. We do not want a clash of cultures but peace between the different cultures. I appeal to the responsibility of all politicians, religious and media representatives, to use their influence to ensure the focus is not on confrontation, but on understanding, respect and dialogue.”