Mr President,
Honourable Members,
The controversy about cartoons which first appeared in a Danish newspaper is a regrettable development. We have seen violent demonstrations that have in some cases even led to deaths. Representations of the EU and its Member States have been attacked and damaged. Threats have been made against EU citizens and unacceptable boycott measures against EU States have also been threatened. The trust and good will built-up between the EU and Islamic States over decades appear to have been seriously undermined. In this situation, the Council Presidency's most pressing concern has been first and foremost to urge all States involved to see that EU citizens and EU property are protected from attacks in accordance with international law. To that end, the Presidency issued a statement on 4 February and has made representations in a number of North African and Middle Eastern States.
In the role of Council Presidency, we have openly condemned violent reactions by militant groups and expect all responsible Governments to endorse that condemnation and adopt appropriate measures. It is now time to take conciliatory steps to help calm the situation.
The Council Presidency has assumed its political responsibilities from the start of the crisis. On 30 January, the Council of EU Ministers for Foreign Affairs assured Denmark and Sweden of its full solidarity. The Foreign Ministers stressed the importance of freedom of expression and of the press, which are cornerstones of our European values, while at the same time emphasising that religious belief must also be respected. Such freedom of expression is a precious commodity which we must defend but which requires the exercise of considerable responsibility.
On 2 February, Foreign Minister Plassnik declared before the OSCE Permanent Council that freedom of expression and freedom of the press represented fundamental values of our society which needed to be safeguarded, but that any denigration of a religion was to be condemned.
The Joint Declaration of 7 February by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Secretary General of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference and the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the EU was extremely important. It stresses the need for responsible treatment of religious convictions as well as freedom of expression and a responsible attitude on the part of the press. It rejects any use of violence and calls for dialogue.
On 8 February, the Council President, Foreign Minister Plassnik, had a telephone conversation with Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Gül. This represented a conscious effort to involve Turkey as a country which can play an active role in this context in the Muslim world. Minister Plassnik emphasised in her conversation her appreciation of Turkey's active role in promoting dialogue between Europe and the Muslim world, particularly through the "Alliance of Civilisations", which was the result of an initiative by the Prime Ministers of Turkey and Spain under the aegis of the United Nations Secretary-General.
Also on 8 February, Federal Chancellor Schüssel declared his consternation at portrayals on the homepage of a Muslim immigrant organisation (Arab-European League) in Antwerp and at the call by the Iranian newspaper "Hamshari" for a holocaust-cartoon competition.
As you know, the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, is currently in the Middle East. At a meeting with the Secretary-General of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, on 13 February, options for a targeted dialogue between Europe and the Muslim world were discussed. He will be continuing that discussion with, amongst others, the Secretary-General of the Arab League and representatives of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and Israel.
Under our Presidency, we will actively promote dialogue with the Islamic world. Finnish Foreign Minister Tuomioja has also already announced that dialogue will be a key concern of the Finnish Presidency. We will in our role as Council Presidency be taking steps to help calm the situation and restore peaceful dialogue. At the next Foreign Ministers meeting on 27 and 28 February, ways of enhancing EU dialogue with the Islamic world will be an important topic.
Mr President,
Honourable Members,
The present crisis calls for leadership on the part of the elected political representatives of the European Union. Such leadership cannot and should not of course consist, for example, of attempts by the State to prescribe rules of conduct for the media. Freedom of expression and of the press and freedom from censorship are the hard-won fruits of years of struggle in Europe. They must under no circumstances be put at risk. Those freedoms also allow controversial ideas and discussions, shocking though they may be. And they include the freedom to make mistakes and also to criticise those mistakes severely.
The right to freedom of expression is however subject to restrictions when protection of the rights and feelings of others is involved. Determining the right balance – a decisive factor – is under our rule of law the responsibility of independent courts, including the European Court of Human Rights.
The European Union's political leadership, to which I have referred, must manifest itself rather by showing credibly that freedom of expression and respect for the cultures and religions of others are not incompatible but complementary.
The right response to the current crisis is not less freedom of expression but rather the credible commitment of a democratic and pluralist Europe to the dialogue of cultures and civilisations.
We must show the Muslim communities in the world that we want to work with them in further developing relations based on mutual trust. We must show our Muslim fellow citizens within the European Union that the Union is still a good place to be, a place where they and members of other faiths are respected and can feel at home, and where they can become democratically involved.
In taking up these challenges, it will be very important for us to draw on the trust which it has been possible to build up over the years in our countries between the religious communities themselves and between those with political responsibilities and the religious communities.
What I mean in practice can be illustrated by reference to my own country, Austria:
One of the most important conversations which Austrian leaders have held in the last few days in order to try and defuse the situation took place on 7 February between Foreign Minister Plassnik and the President of the Islamic faith community in Austria, Professor Anas Schakfeh. In the course of that conversation, Minister Plassnik expressed her appreciation of the role played by Professor Schakfeh and the Islamic faith community in Austria in seeking a level-headed and balanced approach and declared: "Now we must stand together and let the world see the value of our ongoing dialogue."
In this connection, I would also like to mention the big Islamic Conference, which took place in Vienna from 14 to 16 November last year and discussed many of the issues with which we are now confronted. At that Conference, to which we were able to welcome, amongst others, President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, the Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, the former Iranian President Khatami, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomaios of Istanbul and the Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi as speakers, strong emphasis was already being placed on the importance of dialogue and we will be stepping up that dialogue in the context of the present situation.
Mr President,
Honourable Members,
Our thanks go to those level-headed forces in society which favour cooperation and diversity in freedom and which in recent days and weeks have been working to that end both within and outside the Union. I consider it an indispensable condition that the European Institutions should be of one mind here and speak with one voice. I am also convinced that the confident defence of our values together with a readiness to listen to others and to understand their concerns is the right way forward in the European Union's relations with the Islamic world.
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