BERLIN, Sept 26 (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel
has cancelled a visit to Tunisia in early October, an aide said
on Wednesday, with a German paper citing safety concerns over
unrest in the region in protest against a U.S.-made anti-Islam
video.
Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert said the visit was called
off “by mutual agreement with the government of Tunisia”. He
declined to give a reason but the Financial Times Deutschland
mentioned security worries in a preview of its Thursday edition.
The chancellor took a conciliatory tone with Germany’s large
Muslim community during a call-in event with her party followers
late on Wednesday. With more than 3 million Muslims living in
Germany, Islam had become “a part of us”, she said.
“The majority of Muslims in Germany have clearly distanced
themselves from such actions,” Merkel said of violent protests
this month against the film “The Innocence of Muslims”, during
which Germany’s embassy in Sudan was stormed.
The German government has criticised the film as a crude
attack on Islam, with Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle calling
it an “anti-Islamic hate video”. German authorities say they
will consider banning any attempt to screen it.
(Reporting by Andreas Rinke; Writing by Stephen Brown; Editing
by Myra MacDonald)
