Erdogan, Spanish PM issue call for common sense
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Spanish Prime Minister Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, two leaders of the UN Alliance of Civilizations initiative, released a letter yesterday to calm the tension caused by cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammed. The letter, which was published in European newspapers including the International Herald Tribune, called for common sense and mutual respect on all sides. “With growing concern, we are witnessing the escalation in disturbing tensions provoked by the publication, in European newspapers, of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad that Muslims consider deeply offensive,” it said.
“We shall all be the losers if we fail to immediately defuse this situation, which can only leave a trail of mistrust and misunderstanding between both sides in its wake. Therefore, it is necessary to make an appeal for respect and calm, and let the voice of reason be heard.” In related news, Ursula Plassnik, foreign minister of European Union Term President Austria, told Austria’s ambassadors in Islamic countries that they should ask local officials to take measures to ensure the safety of life and property of European citizens. She also called on 19 countries, including Turkey, to ensure the life and property of diplomats under the Vienna Convention. The Austrian Foreign Ministry declared these 19 countries, including Turkey, “high-risk regions” and warned its citizens not to travel there.