” “"Freedom of expression does not mean freedom of abuse": the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, invited to take the floor at the Parliamentary Assembly of the CoE during the debate on freedom of expression and respect of religious beliefs, repeated what he had stated in the past few months about the affair of the Muhammad cartoons. A position, which is also shared by a large part of the religious communities of the continent and very many voices of European politicians and intellectuals. Erdogan presented to the Palais de l’Europe a "joint initiative with the Spanish Prime Minister José Rodriguez Zapatero for an "alliance of civilisations", and stated that the "recent affair of the cartoons revealed the rising, dangerous bias of the international community, based on cultural and religious divisions which are exploited by the extremists". Then, the Prime Minister put forward a proposal for a "compromise of tolerance and cultural pluralism": "We must use stated the head of the government of Ankara, which aspires to joining the European Union our hopes, not our fears".” “
