I Was Deeply Distressed That The Cartoons

I Can Hardly Believe What These 12 Caricatures [about Prophet Muhammad] Have Caused In The World. We Danes Feel Like We Have Been Placed In A Scene In The Wrong Movie. But I Don't See The Fight As A Clash Of Civilizations. Rather, We Must Focus On Avoiding Exactly This Type Of Conflict. We Have To Return To Dialogue, To Mutual Understanding And To An Acknowledgement Of Freedom Of Opinion.

Consensus And Dialogue Have Always Played A Significant Role, Especially In Danish Society. Of Course There Are Basic Values That Must Be Respected, But Within This Framework, We Are A Liberal And Tolerant Country Where Everyone Can Live As They Desire And According To Their Tradition. That Is The Danish Way.

Europe Should Stick To An Open Economy, To Competition And We Should Refuse Protectionism. It Will Not Save One Single Job In The Long Run To Protect Non-competitive Industries.

I Think President Karzai Realizes Exactly How Important It Is To Strengthen The Fight Against Corruption In The Country Now, Step Up Endeavors To Stop The Drug Trade And To Deliver Better Governance. He Said As Much In His Inaugural Address.

More Than Forty Years Of Communist Rule In Central And Eastern Europe Resulted In An Unhappy And Artificial Division Of Europe. It Is This Dark Chapter Of European History That We Now Have The Opportunity To Close.