Staff Reporter
President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pottering, said that he was against the anti-Islam film Fitna, which was  produced and released by a Dutch lawmaker.
Talking to reporters in Doha on the sidelines of the eighth Forum on Democracy, Development and Free Trade, which started yesterday, he said  that he understood  the cultural differences between the Islamic world and Europe and that he was committed to dialogue based on partnership.
“If there are people  who commit acts of terrorism in the name of Islam, we do not believe they represented the mainstream of Muslim thinking… we [the EU] will not accept that Islam and terrorism are identical. We are not in favour of descriptions and pictures that identify violence with Islam. We are against any cartoons that could instigate violence,” he said.
“We are committed to the freedom of the press but I am against publishing cartoons that hurt the feelings of others. As a Catholic, I would feel insulted if someone derides the Pope. We might disagree with others but we have to respect them.”
He said Muslims had been freely practising their religion in Europe and Qatar’s decision to allow churches on its soil was very much welcome and such a step was an indication of  tolerance. “I visited the Catholic church in Doha yesterday and I was impressed.”
On the negotiations between the EU and GCC to hammer out a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), P?ttering said that he did not come to Doha to discuss such issues, but said such an agreement was important but both sides needed a long-term pact.
He said that Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Commissioner of the  European Commission was to  visit the region and she would speed up the FTA talks.
On the EU Parliament’s position on Middle East peace process, he said Europeans had been supporting the two-state principle, which called for Israel  having secured and defined borders along side a secured and defined state of Palestine. Pottering hoped Syria would take  a more positive step to revive the process.
On the necessity of having an elected-parliament in Qatar, he said that such a process took time. “I have been a member of the European Parliament since 1979, when it had no power.”
On the continuing violence in Kosovo, he said that most of the 27 nations in the European bloc were supporting the independence of Kosovo, but “we believe it is necessary to respect the rights of the Serb minority there”.