EU seek Turkey's advice over cartoon tensions
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Oluşturulma Tarihi: Şubat 23, 2006 09:48
As the West seek guidance over how to improve relations with the Muslim world following the cartoon demonstrations, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul has been invited by Austrian EU presidency to present ideas at an informal meeting in Salzburg next month. "The Turkish foreign minister has been invited to open a discussion on this theme at a meeting of foreign ministers on 11 March," Austrian presidency spokesman Nikola Johannes Donig said, according to Danish daily Politiken.
Haberin Devamı
Mr Gul is also expected to shed light on the so-called "Alliance of Civilisations" plan. The initiative for an "Alliance of Civilisations" was launched by UN secretary general Kofi Annan in July 2005 to bridge divides and overcome prejudice that potentially threatens world peace. The call for an alliance was initiated by Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero of Spain, and co-sponsored by prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey.
The group is expected to present a report with recommendations and a practical plan of action in late 2006 including a trust fund set up to finance the initiative and a high-level group of eminent persons to guide the scheme