Europe Moves to Defuse Cartoon Crisis

As protesters attacked the Danish and Austrian embassies in Iran’s capital yesterday, European diplomatic efforts have been stepped up to defuse the chaos sparked by cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed printed in a number of European newspapers.

Both the embassy of Austria, holder of the European Presidency, and the Danish embassy in Tehran were pelted with petrol bombs and stones, resulting in serious damage.

French foreign minister, Philippe Douste-Blazy, called on Arab countries to “talk with moderation” about the current protests, including violent protests in Lebanon, Syria and Afghanistan over the weekend which left four dead.