The Danish Embassy and Muslim federations in Japan have agreed to hold round-table meetings in the wake of violent protests overseas over the publication of caricatures of the prophet Muhammad by a Danish daily, Denmark's ambassador to Japan said Friday.
Representatives from two Muslim federa Svane tions visited Ambassador Freddy Svane in February and last week to hand him "a number of protest letters," Svane said during a visit to The Japan Times.
"It turned out to be a good thing to have these meetings. They were focused on continuing and deepening the ties with Denmark. . . . We had a very peaceful and fruitful discussion. We agreed that violence is not the solution, and that we need dialogue," Svane said.
He expects the first round-table meeting to take place before summer. It will foster mutual understanding and will "go beyond the cartoon issue," he said.
Denmark has a relatively large Muslim population, of 210,000, and the welfare of that community is a big concern because "I represent them, too," the ambassador said.
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