"...Question: Mr. Ambassador, are you concerned increased tension because of the cartoon controversy might lead Europe towards a more isolationist attitude toward Turkey's membership?
Assistant Secretary Fried: Oh, I don't think so. I think that the statement of Prime Minister Erdogan, if you read it, the one he made with President Zapatero, was a very good one. That is he did not equivocate on freedom of the press. He said freedom of the press is an absolute and it applies to us, too. Then he also said I recognize that freedom of the press means responsibilities and these cartoons were offensive to hundreds of millions of Muslims. That's about what he said. I'm sorry, I'm doing this from memory.
But that was a good statement, and I think Turkey has an opportunity to show leadership as a democracy, a country with a free press, and an increasingly tolerant public arena, if I can put it that way. I think Turkey is well placed to stand up and say as a country with a Moslem tradition, a secular republic with a Moslem tradition, we find the cartoons offensive but there can be no excuse for attacks and burning, and I think that's pretty much what the Turks have said. So I don't think this will hurt Turkey's EU membership. I think there are some who would like to turn this into a clash of civilizations, but I don't believe that."
More:U.S. Calls for Restraint, Reason in Wake of Cartoon Controversy
