The editors of two New Zealand newspapers that published controversial images of the Prophet Mohammed have apologised for the offence they caused Muslims.
The apology comes after a meeting today in Wellington attended by 17 representatives of various media organisations and religious groups. It was set up by Race Relations Commissioner Joris de Bres.
The meeting issued a statement saying freedom of the press is important, but does not come without responsibilities.
The editors of The Dominion Post and The Press have given an undertaking not to publish the images again. They also told the meeting they did not set out to insult or offend Muslims.
However, Dominion Post editor Tim Pankhurst says he does not resile from publishing the cartoons initially, in the context that the reaction had become the story.
Mr Pankhurst says he does not regard the apology as a backdown.
Meeting positive, says Islamic association
Federation of Islamic Associations president Javed Khan says the meeting was very positive, and has opened up dialogue between religious groups and the media.
He says he's a little disappointed that TVNZ and TV3, who also showed the cartoons are yet to apologise, but says they are both reviewing their position.
Mr Khan says the meeting's outcome is likely to mitigate some of the negative impacts the publication of the cartoons has had for New Zealand in Islamic communities, including New Zealand's cause with Iran.
Exporters are concerned Muslim countries may boycott goods from New Zealand as a result. New Zealand's trade with Islamic countries is worth about $1.5 billion.
Mr Khan says discussions he had earlier with Iran's ambassador to New Zealand were positive. He says the ambassador indicated he would be sending a positive report back to the committee reviewing trade deals.
Diplomatic talks with ambassador 'positive'
The Government also says a diplomatic meeting with the Iranian ambassador earlier in the day was positive.
The head of the Middle Eastern division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade met Iranian Ambassador Kambiz Sheikh-Hassani in Wellington this morning.
Trade Minister Phil Goff says the ambassador was aware that the decision to print the cartoons in this country was made by individual media, and was not the responsibility of the Government or exporters.
Mr Goff says the ambassador has reported that back to his government in Tehran. He says the ambassador is also aware of the Government's view that nothing should be done to demean anybody's religious or cultural beliefs.
International appeal for calm
Three leading international bodies have appealed for calm in the row over the caricatures.
The call by the United Nations, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the European Union comes after warnings from Denmark the controversy has developed into a global crisis.
The three organisation expressed alarm that the violent protests that have been taking place in Muslim countries, saying they damage the image of peaceful Islam.
In a joint statement, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan; EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana; and OIC head Ekmelettin Ihsanoglu called for restraint from all sides.
"We believe freedom of the press entails responsibility and discretion, and should respect the beliefs and tenets of all religions. But we also believe the recent violent acts surpass the limits of peaceful protest," they said.
The statement came as Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen called for a resolution "through dialogue, not violence". The caricatures were first published in Denmark.
Holocaust lampooned in Iranian newspaper
Iran's best-selling newspaper has launched a competition to find the best cartoon about the Holocaust.
The Iranian daily Hamshahri says the contest is in retaliation for the publication of the caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed.
The paper claims the contest is designed to test the boundaries of free speech - the reason given by many newspapers for publishing the cartoons.
A Jewish human rights organisation says it is typical of the Muslim press to retaliate with a cartoon competition about the Holocaust.
The director of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre in Jerusalem, Ephraim Zuroff, says the contest will cause great offence although the cartoons are unlikely to be taken seriously in the west.
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has said the western media's publication of the cartoons is an Israeli conspiracy motivated by anger over the victory of Hamas in Palestinian elections.
Protests continue around the world
- In Pakistan, at least 3,000 protesters, enraged by the alleged desecration of the Koran, have clashed with police and torched two cinemas in Pakistan's second largest city, Lahore.
The trouble erupted when copies of the Muslim holy book were found lying in a drain on the fringes of the sprawling city. It's not known who was responsible for the Koran's pages being in the gutter.
Earlier, about 5,000 people took to the streets in Peshawar, in Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province, in protest at the cartoons. Protests were also held in Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
- In Afghanistan, three people were killed as police opened fire to control stone-throwing rioters, during a fifth day of protests against the cartoons. Seventeen people were also wounded in the protests in Qalat, the capital of southern Zabul province. Ten Afghans now have been killed in riots against the publication of the cartoons.
- Denmark says it holds Iran responsible after its Tehran embassy was attacked on Monday. The embassy was pelted with petrol bombs and stones for a second day on Tuesday.
- Norway demanded compensation from Syria after its embassy in Damascus was set on fire on Saturday.
- Hundreds of Muslims gathered in Cotabato, in the southern Philippines, demanding that Denmark punish the Jyllands-Posten newspaper for publishing the cartoons.
