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BRUSSELS, Feb 7 (AP): European Union officials want to launch a debate with media bosses about the outrage sparked by the newspaper cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, as Europeans struggle to balance cherished rights to free speech with the need to calm rising Islamic fury.
The issue is due to be discussed at a round-table meeting in the coming mouths as part of a wider EU drive to prevent the radicalization of Muslim opinion.
Officials stress that the talks have been planned since September, well before the furor over the cartoons became a factor in the debate on press coverage of racism, xenophobia and terrorism.
The idea for the conference dates back to September, when the EU published an anti-terrorism paper, which recommended an examination of the media's role. The following week, the Jyllands-Posten daily, one of Denmark's largest newspapers, first published the caricatures.
Some hope a debate between media players could lead to a voluntary code of conduct on how to cover such issues.
But EU officials insist they are not suggesting new rules to gag the media. "It is not up to us to recommend anything to the press," European Commission spokesman Johannes Laitenberger told reporters last week.
The EU's Justice and Security Commissioner Franco Frattini launched the initiative in September to look at ways to counter the growth of extremism among Europe's Muslims.
He said then that the EU should look at building on existing rules which prohibit incitement to hatred on grounds of race, sex, religion or nationality in broadcasts. He expressed concern negative stereotyping of Muslims in the media could lead to increased feelings of alienation and exacerbate tensions.
Meanwhile, one Afghan was killed Tuesday when protesters condemning cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed attacked the offices of Norwegian NATO troops in Afghanistan, a deputy governor said.
Three people were killed Monday as similar protests erupted across the country, amid a worldwide escalation of Muslim anger at the newspaper caricatures published in Norway and other countries.
Hundreds of demonstrators threw hand grenades at the offices of a Norwegian-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in the northwestern city of Maymana, capital of Faryab province, deputy governor Sayed Ahmad Sayed told AFP.
"The demonstration turned violent... One protester was killed and five others were wounded in the violence," he said.
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