Syria, Denmark discuss enhancing ties
Syria-Denmark, Politics, 2/28/2006

Syria and Denmark discussed on Monday means to enhance ties that were once marred due to the cartoons publications defaming Prophet Mohammad which has aroused fury among the Islamic world.

Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmad Arnous and Danish Ambassador to Damascus Ole Mikkelsen discussed how to enhance bilateral relations through dialogue and mutual understanding earlier in the day, the official SANA news agency said.

Arnous stressed Syria's keenness to continue relations with Denmark, hailing the positive impacts of the statement issued by the Danish Foreign Ministry on the publication of the cartoons, SANA said, without giving further details.

Mikkelsen, leaving Damascus for his home country after furious Syrians stormed and set fire to his embassy here earlier this month, just return to the Syrian capital Sunday night. Syria has said it will compensate for the damages made in these incidents in which the Swedish, Chilean and Norwegian embassies were partly or fully destroyed.

Although declining to apologize on behalf of the newspaper which originally printed the cartoons, Denmark still sought to calm the Muslim anger by saying it will hold a religious conference, make a donation to a UN agency fighting prejudice and stage a Muslim cultural exhibition.

The cartoons were first published by the Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, last September and republished in some other European newspapers last month in support of the Danish newspaper.

One of the cartoons depicts the prophet wearing a turban shaped like a bomb.

According to Islamic tradition, realistic depiction of prophets were prohibited and caricatures of them were considered profane.

Previous Stories:
  Denmark's ambassador returning to Syria   (2/25/2006)
  Danish ambassador leaves Syria   (2/13/2006)
  Grand Mufti of Syria expresses regret over embassies incidents   (2/6/2006)

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