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Category: Denmark

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  • Incoming NATO chief: Confront religious prejudice

    Incoming NATO chief: Confront religious prejudice

    ISTANBUL(AP)

    The incoming head of NATO called on Monday for a balance between free speech and respect for religious feelings after a dispute over his support for the right to caricature the Prophet Muhammad had threatened his appointment.

    Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who overcame objections from Turkey about his suitability for the alliance top job, said he will pay close attention to religious sensibilities when he becomes NATO secretary-general in August. His stance over the caricatures had angered Muslims around the world.

    “I would never myself depict any religious figure, including the Prophet Muhammad, in a way that could hurt other people’s feelings,” the former Danish prime minister said at a conference in Istanbul, Turkey.

    “I respect Islam as one of the world’s major religions,” said Fogh Rasmussen, wearing a sling after dislocating his shoulder in an accident earlier Monday.

    In 2005, twelve cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad were published in Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten.

    The drawings triggered massive protests from Morocco to Indonesia in early 2006, and rioters torched Danish and other Western embassies and diplomatic missions. Islamic law generally opposes any depiction of the prophet, even favorable, for fear it could lead to idolatry.

    Throughout the crisis, Fogh Rasmussen distanced himself from the cartoons but resisted calls to apologize for them, citing freedom of speech and saying his government could not be held responsible for the actions of Denmark’s free press.

    “My position was clear before, during and after the crisis,” Fogh Rasmussen said.

    In his speech to the Alliance of Civilizations, a forum sponsored by Turkey and Spain to promote understanding between the Western and Islamic worlds, Fogh Rasmussen said prejudice must be confronted.

    He said dialogue between cultures and religions should be “based on mutual respect and understanding” and that all kinds of censorship hamper that process.

    “That’s exactly the balance that we have to strike,” he said, referring to free speech and respect for religions.

    On another contentious issue, Fogh Rasmussen said Denmark was continuing a four-year investigation of Turkish claims that Copenhagen-based Roj TV has ties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK. The rebel group has been fighting the Turkish state since 1984 and is considered by Denmark and other Western countries to be a terrorist organization.

    “If sufficient evidence is provided, we will of course do all we can to close this television station,” Fogh Rasmussen said. “I do hope that the work can be concluded as soon as possible, but it’s up to the public prosecutor to decide.”

    The station has its newsroom and production facilities in Belgium, but transmits its satellite signal to Kurdish viewers via Denmark because it does not have a Belgian broadcasting license. Danish-Turkish relations have long been strained over Kurdish groups based in Denmark.

    Turkey’s Dogan news agency reported that Fogh Rasmussen was injured in his hotel.

    “I had a small accident in my room,” said the former Danish prime minister. He joked that he appeared “in a condition which might give you a wrong impression of the character of my new job.”

    ___

    Associated Press Writer Jan M. Olsen contributed to this report from Copenhagen

    Source:  www.cfnews13.com, April 10, 2009

  • Israel pleased with new NATO chief

    Israel pleased with new NATO chief

    By Amir Oren, Haaretz Correspondent and AP

    STRASBOURG, France – NATO leaders appointed Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen as NATO’s new secretary general yesterday after overcoming Turkish objections to a leader who angered Muslims around the world by supporting the right to caricature the Prophet Muhammad.

    Israeli officials here expressed their satisfaction at Rasmussen’s appointment, noting that he has taken a very friendly approach to Israel in the past few years. NATO’s outgoing head, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, said NATO’s 28 member nations reached unanimity after a series of Turkish concerns were addressed.

    “Every head of state and government is fully convinced that Anders Fogh Rasmussen is the best choice for NATO,” de Hoop Scheffer told reporters at the end of the alliance’s two-day, 60th-anniversary summit. “A solution has been found also for the concerns expressed by Turkey and we are unanimous in this.”

    “There were important efforts to make sure that everyone felt included,” U.S. President Barack Obama said after the meeting.

    Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters that his government’s requests had included the closure of a Kurdish satellite television broadcaster based in Denmark; the establishment of contacts between NATO and Islamic countries; appointment of a Turk as an aide to Fogh Rasmussen and senior NATO command positions for Turkish generals.

    Fogh Rasmussen infuriated many Muslims by defending freedom of speech during an uproar over a Danish newspaper’s publication of the cartoons in 2005.

    He has also angered Turkey by opposing its membership in the European Union.

    Turkish leaders argued against Fogh Rasmussen on the grounds that he would be a bad choice at a time when NATO was trying to win support from Muslims in Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to a diplomat from a member country who asked not to be identified.

    Fogh Rasmussen, who stood next to de Hoop Scheffer during the announcement, said he was honored by the decision.

    “I have total understanding for the issues raised by Turkey,” Fogh Rasmussen said, adding that he viewed Turkey as a bridge to the Islamic world.

    “A dialogue with the Muslim world is important,” he said.

    De Hoop Scheffer’s term runs out August 1.

    Source: www.haaretz.com, April 05, 2009

  • “Terrorism Supporter” to be the Secretary General of NATO?

    “Terrorism Supporter” to be the Secretary General of NATO?

    By Sedat LACINER

    NATO has started to take on new roles, especially after the Cold War period, among which combating international terrorism is its first priority. The expansion of NATO’s operation area from the former Yugoslavia to Afghanistan is also a new development NATO is operating among religiously and ethnically diverse populations from numerous regions. Hence, the Organization’s operation locations ”at an equal distance from all religions and cultures” is of the utmost importance in accomplishing its mission. NATO is currently preparing to welcome its new secretary general, and Denmark’s Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen is in the lead, among the other strong candidates, in consideration for this post.

    The US, Germany, and other significant NATO members have already asserted their support for Rasmussen. Moreover, Denmark has been conducting lobbying campaigns in support of its prime minister. Yet, since Rasmussen has an unfavorable record in combating terrorism and in conducting dialogue between civilizations, he is the worst candidate for the NATO or any organization of this kind:

    * Copenhagen Is Broadcasting “Terrorist TV’

    First, Rasmussen tolerated the PKK’s (Kurdistan Worker’s Party) activities in Denmark, and gave permission to the terrorist organization launching a television channel in Copenhagen: Roj TV, perceived as a culture channel by the Danish authorities, which enhances the so-called suppressed Kurds’ language and culture. However, to ignore the close relations between Roj TV and the PKK, one should be blind or malicious.

    The TV channel repeatedly broadcasts PKK terrorists to the screen. Moreover, most of these terrorists are well known some are leaders of the Organization or even suspects on Interpol’s wanted list.

    Moreover, the TV channel calls Kurdish people to perform acts of violence and terrorism against Turkey every day. Despite the fact that inciting violence is banned by the EU and Danish law as well, Denmark did not take any measures to discourage this persistent malice.

    Turkey has warned Denmark on the matter numerous times. Not only Turkey, but also the United States (US) has pointed to dubious relations between Roj TV and the PKK and called for the channel to be shut down. Yet the Rasmussen Government did not take these warnings seriously, only postponing the solution by saying, “The police are investigating the issue,” or “our judges are going to focus on the matter.”

    The terrorist relations between Roj TV and the PKK were obvious and the Danish government did not need any clues to figure out this connection. MED TV, the first channel established by the PKK, was banned by the British television authority ITC in 1999. The terrorist organization then moved its TV channel to France, under the name “MEDYA TV.” However, the France did not welcome the channel either, and it was closed down by the court after a short period of broadcasting.

    The PKK moved to Denmark after the UK and France and found a government willing to help its cause. While Roj TV was broadcasting from Denmark, it was banned in Germany due to its terrorist roots. The PKK’s reaction to Germany’s stance was to kidnap German mountain climbers in Turkey. However, Germany did not yield to the PKK’s blackmailing and insisted on its decision on banning the TV channel. Indeed, the PKK is labeled in Danish law as a “terrorist organization” as it was by the US, the EU, the UK, Germany, and Turkey. Yet, Rasmussen continues to protect the terrorist organization’s activities by tolerating them. Thus, the PKK and its branches have freely carried out their activities in Denmark as if it was a civil society organization.

    Now, the prime minister of this government, who has turned a blind eye towards terrorism, and is even seen as a supporter of terrorism, is preparing to be the head of NATO which regards combating terrorism as one of its primary missions. If Rasmussen becomes the Secretary General of NATO, this could possibly affect numerous NATO policies, especially those related to combating terrorism. Moreover, this could lead many countries including but not limited to Turkey, to question their confidence in the Organization’s policies.

    * Cartoon Crisis

    Rasmussen’s stance during the “Cartoon Crisis” is another fact which makes him a weird figure for the Secretary General of NATO.

    Just after the release of the caricatures in Jyllands-Posten newspaper on September 30th, which picture Muslims and their prophet as terrorists, Turkey warned Denmark to be aware of the incoming danger. Ambassadors of ten Muslim countries pioneered by former Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Denmark sent a signed petition to the Prime Minister Rasmussen to protest the events. The ambassadors asked for a meeting with Rasmussen to evaluate the crisis and call for the peace atmosphere. Turkey aimed to bring the representatives of the Muslim countries in Copenhagen and the Denmark Government together during that crisis. However, Rasmussen did not appraise Turkey’s good will and his government implied that they did not need Turkey’s mediation on the issue. Rasmussen rejected the meeting request rudely. The caricature crisis spread to all Muslim countries as a result, and more radicals like Iran became dominant in anti-Denmark campaigns gradually, yet decisively. Whilst Denmark’s interests started to be damaged from these campaigns, Rasmussen declared that he personally condemned the caricatures, yet, he continued to evaluate the issue within the context of freedom of speech. His management of crisis was not only unsuccessful but also was narrow sided. Rasmussen ignored dialog and underestimated Turkey and its soft power. Today, for many Muslims, Denmark is a country which insulted their Prophet.

    Is not the Rasmussen’s taking post going to disrupt NATO’s operations in Afghanistan while the perception toward Denmark is highly problematic among the Muslim countries?

    * Turkey’s EU Membership

    Rasmussen’s opposition to Turkey’s EU membership on the ground that Turkey has a different cultural-religious background is the third reason which damages Rasmussen’s image in the eyes of Turkey and Muslim countries. For Rasmussen, who seems as if he does not make religion based politics, Turkey does not have a place in the EU.

    Rasmussen had a significant role in Denmark’s opposition to Turkey’s EU membership as contrary to the stance of other countries in the Northern Europe. The Prime Minister also chose to support Turkey’s opponents whenever Turkey had a disagreement with other countries. His behavior towards Turkey was scorning and perception of Turkey for Rasmussen was “an Eastern country waiting at the EU’s door.” Resembling to Europe’s fanatical rightist politicians, Rasmussen became a problematic figure who discourages Turkey on the way to the EU membership.

    Since he has been opposing Turkey’s EU membership as the first Muslim country to be in the EU, it is not hard to guess to what extent Rasmussen would damage the relations between the NATO and other Muslim countries.

    ***

    Indeed, it is like a bad joke

    While we were happy for getting rid of the Bush administration, Danish version of Bush is preparing to be the head of NATO during the Obama presidency.

    slaciner@gmail.com

    Sedat LACINER: BA (Ankara), MA (Sheffield), PhD (King’s College, London University)

    ***
    Translated by Dilek Aydemir, USAK
    Language Edit by Kaitlin MacKenzie, USAK

    Source: Journal of Turkish Weekly, 26 March 2009

  • Turkish, Danish Ships Repel Pirate Attack Off Yemen

    Turkish, Danish Ships Repel Pirate Attack Off Yemen

    ANKARA (AFP) — Turkish and Danish warships intercepted an attack by pirates on a Vietnamese cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden, the Turkish army chief of staff said Monday.

    Two Turkish helicopters helped repel Sunday’s attack on the M/V Diamond Falcon off Yemen’s southern coast after the Vietnamese boat issued a distress signal, an army statement said.

    The Danish navy told AFP that the pirates, who attacked on two speedboats, fled, and that no arrests were made.

    It added that the attack took place in a busy fishing zone, making it easier for the pirate craft to disguise their intent.

    The statement did not give their nationality, but more than 100 attacks last year in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes have mostly been blamed on Somali pirates.

    The United States, European Union countries, China and Russia have already deployed naval vessels to the region.

    Source:  www.google.com, 16 March 2009