The Daily Star - Politic
"Finland, next EU president, pushes dialogue on Islam
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
HELSINKI: Finland on Tuesday called on the European Union to talk to moderate Muslims following the global row over Prophet Mohammad cartoons as the Nordic country, which takes over the EU presidency in July, hosted a seminar on Europe and the Muslim world.
'The EU should seek to engage itself in a dialogue with mainstream Muslims both internationally as well as nationally,' Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja told a Helsinki conference entitled 'Building Dialogue: Beyond the Cartoons.'
'If we wish our voice to be heard by the Muslims we will have to listen to Muslims abroad as well as domestically,' Tuomioja said.
Tuomioja said he planned to promote European-Muslim dialogue during Finland's EU presidency, and would involve 'governments and intergovernmental bodies, the civil society, religious and spiritual leaders as well as intellectuals.' 'The cartoon crisis has touched ordinary people around the world. It is not only to them, but with them we should be talking,' he stressed."
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