Anders Fogh Rasmussen: There will be no apologies for the Mohammed cartoons

**sturmwalkure** · 05-28-2009, 08:26 PM

Turkey should not expect any apologies when NATO's next Secretary-General and former Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen makes a speech in Istanbul today.

“Listen. In Denmark we do not apologise for having freedom of speech,” Fogh Rasmussen is quoted by Ritzau as saying.

“You all know that a Danish Prime Minister cannot apologise on behalf of a newspaper,” he continues.

The newly-appointed upcoming secretary-general for NATO is in Turkey to speak at a United Nations conference on intercultural dialogue and understanding.

Turkish media
The Turkish media has widely reported that Fogh Rasmussen will issue an apology during his speech today, and that the apology was one concession offered in order to get Turkey to withdraw its opposition to Fogh Rasmussen’s appointment.

But Fogh Rasmussen rejects the assertion.

“We have nothing in the bag,” he is reported as saying.

TV station
Turkey’s largest newspaper Hürriyet wrote yesterday that: “Turkey has given a conditional yes to Rasmussen. He must apologise for the Mohammed cartoons and Roj TV must be closed,” it said referring to a Kurdish television station which broadcasts from Denmark.

“I have though a lot about what to say and I am mindful of my responsibility as NATO’s next secretary-general,” Fogh Rasmussen tells Ritzau.

“Understanding between peoples is important in order to improve security and that is what my main task as NATO secretary-general will be. To improve security,” he says and stresses that he sees Turkey as a good ally and an important strategic partner for NATO.

When Fogh Rasmussen mounts the podium in Turkey today, his arm will be in a sling after he fell down stairs last evening and dislocated his shoulder.

Link: http://politiken.dk/newsinenglish/article685161.ece

Good to hear!

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**Vulpix** · 05-28-2009, 08:54 PM

Here they are:

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**anonymaus** · 05-28-2009, 08:55 PM

Originally Posted by Foxie

Here they are:

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Oh, sweet memories

**Óttar** · 05-28-2009, 09:07 PM

This is yet another reason why Turkey should not be let into the EU. On top of the fact that the French and the Germans (the staples of the EU) both do not want it. Half of the country is full of Muslim fanatics and the only part of Turkey in Europe is Istanbul, which is conquered territory. So if the Chinese come and annex Montenegro does this make them Europeans too?

**sturmwalkure** · 05-28-2009, 09:17 PM

Originally Posted by Óttar

This is yet another reason why Turkey should not be let into the EU. On top of the fact that the French and the Germans (the staples of the EU) both do not want it. Half of the country is full of Muslim fanatics and the only part of Turkey in Europe is Istanbul, which is conquered territory. So if the Chinese come and annex Montenegro does this make them Europeans too?

I agree, just because a racial aliens live in Europe doesn't make them European. They are merely occupiers which hopefully will be dealt with in the future. A White Europe is a realizable possibility isn't it? Once the EU, the UN and NATO are dismantled it will be an easier task- not something that'll happen overnight but it can happen.

**~~Brännvin~~** · 05-28-2009, 10:24 PM

The incident is pathetic at all, since it was a private newspaper who made the cartoons in a democratic and civilized country, nothing to do with the Danish state and government.

And when a flag that represents an entire nation was burnt, is it not that also an insult?

**Ulex** · 05-28-2009, 10:57 PM

Hmmm... I see Mr. Rasmussen once again plays the role as the defender of Freedom of Speech. To understand what he really means, we will have to go a few years back in time, back to when all this cartoon-thing started.

Right after the drawings were printed and the first muslim protests were heard, Rasmussen, primeminister back then, immediately saw an opportunity to score some easy "rep. points" among his voters by proclaiming that in Denmark everybody has the right to express themselves, nomatter what. But he underestimated the effect of the drawings, and when the crisis came, he said that he thinks it is disgusting that anybody print such offensive drawings. He discredited the newspaper in public.

In interviews given to muslim medias, Rasmussen did never say "sorry". But he used any other synonym for "sorry" instead. "I deeply regret that the newspaper printed those offensive drawings, but what can I do about it? A Danish primeminister can not suppress the medias, nomatter how vulgar and disgusting they are." He said so, more or less...

Please take this fact into account before you celebrate the deeds of Rasmussen.

Besides, the prize he had to pay for becoming NATO secretary-general was immensely high. The Turks will be dominating NATO top-posts for many years to come.