PoliGazette » Rasmussen to apologize to ‘Islamic World’ - UPDATE: Rasmussen Says No UPDATE: Yes, political apology offered: "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.
Not apologizing is obviously the right way to go. However, if he did agree to the conditions as reported by German, Dutch and Turkish media, he could cause a major international controversy by not following up on his promises. Interesting: will he ‘not apologize’ but ‘reach out’? Or will he apologize nonetheless? Or, lastly, will he continue to defend the freedom of speech in the West and refuse to compromise during his speech in Istanbul, even if this means that Turkey will revolt?"
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