A Danish Christian delegation, currently on a visit to Egypt, meets Saturday with Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Mohammad Sayyed Tantawi, Minister of Waqfs Hamdy Zaqzouq and Mufti Ali Goma.

The delegation's visit is primarily aimed at tackling means of defusing the raging crisis over Danish cartoons that lampooned Prophet Muhammad.

The cartoons, one of which depicted the prophet as a nomad with a bomb-shaped turban, were first published in Denmark's Jyllands Posten newspaper in September. They were later reproduced by several European dailies defending the right of freedom of expression.

The delegation told reporters on Friday that the Danish people did not harbour any grudges towards Islam or Muslims.

They voiced their support for any legislation banning blasphemy, putting the number of Danish Muslims at 200,000 people making up 4 per cent of the country's total population.

The delegation will also hold talks with Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa and a host of Egyptian intellectuals and clerics.

Egyptian preacher Amr Khaled, meanwhile, announced Friday that he along with Muslim scholars from allover the world would hold a press conference in London on February 23 to warn against the grave consequences of insulting divine religions and the prophets, and to call for a constructive dialogue between the West and the Muslim world.

The famed preacher further said that Denmark would host on March 3 an international Islamic festival in a bid to remove stereotypes on Islam and acquaint the West with the merits and and characteristics of the prophet of Islam.

The protests against the cartoons continued Friday unabatedly. The protesters called anew on Muslims worldwide to boycott Danish products.

18-2-2006