Nato chief slams plans for Koran burning

Nato Chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen yesterday condemned plans by a Florida evangelical church to burn the Koran, saying it posed a risk to allied troops in Afghanistan.

Such a move violated the Nato alliance’s “values” and “there is a risk that it may also have a negative impact on security for our troops,” he told reporters during a visit to Washington.

“I think such actions are in strong contradiction with all the values that we stand for and fight for,” Mr Rasmussen said.

The Nato secretary-general’s comments followed a stern warning from the commander of US and coalition troops in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, who said the planned torching of the Koran on Saturday’s 9/11 anniversary would provide propaganda for insurgents and fuel anti-American sentiment across the Muslim world.

In an interview with yesterday’s Wall Street Journal, Gen. Petraeus said of the event: “It could endanger troops and it could endanger the overall effort.

“It is precisely the kind of action the Taliban uses and could cause significant problems. Not just here, but everywhere in the world we are engaged with the Islamic community,” he said.

Apart from Afghanistan, the planned burning of Islam’s holy book also “potentially” posed a security risk to troops elsewhere in the world, Pentagon spokesman Colonel Dave Lapan told reporters.

The Dove World Outreach Centre at Gainesville, Florida says it will burn copies of the Koran on this weekend’s ninth anniversary of the September 11 attacks in protest at what it calls “the evil of Islam”.

The planned protest by the 50-member Florida congregation – whose Facebook page bears the motto “Islam Is Of The Devil” – has already triggered outrage in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country.

Despite warnings by the US commander, the pastor, later on in the day, said that he will go ahead with his plans to hold a Koran burning this week after “he had given “serious” consideration to the concerns expressed by Gen. Petraeus.

The White House also expressed its serious concerns over the issue.