Swedish minister quits over Muhammad cartoons

Reuters:

Swedish Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds has resigned after a row over the closure of a website with cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, embarrassing Prime Minister Goran Persson six months ahead of elections.

Social Democrat (SDP) leader Persson, behind in polls that favour the conservative opposition in September's vote, had for months resisted calls to sack the unpopular minister over her response to the Asian tsunami, in which 500 Swedes died.

But she was forced to resign when it was revealed this week that she had not given full information about her role in the closure of a site belonging to a far-right political party which published cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad offensive to Muslims.

"Under the current circumstances I find it impossible to conduct my work and therefore choose to resign," Ms Freivalds said at a joint news conference with the prime minister.

"It was her own decision," said Mr Persson, who had previously criticised a junior foreign ministry official for putting pressure on a private internet hosting company to close the website belonging to an anti-immigrant Swedish political party.

Ms Freivalds originally said she did not know her ministry had contacted the company, but documents published this week in the Swedish media proved that she had been informed.

Analysts do not think foreign policy will play a major role in elections likely to focus on unemployment, but Ms Freivalds has long been an unpopular figure in the government.

"This means that they will have one less problem and it can't, at any rate, worsen their chances of winning the election," said Mikael Gilljam, politics professor at Gothenburg University.

"I think she should have quit before this," said David Revesz, a Swedish doctor who was in Thailand during the tsunami and had organised a petition calling for her resignation.

Even one of the SDP's own parliamentary partners, the Greens, had called for a vote of no confidence against Ms Freivalds over the tsunami. She went to the theatre on the day of the disaster.

"It's good we have finally put an end to this story," said Green Party leader Peter Eriksson.

The Social Democrats, who have governed Sweden for six of the last seven decades, have a minority government which relies on the support of the Greens and the Left party in parliament.

Together they have about 46-47 per cent of support in opinion polls versus about 50 per cent for the centre-right opposition.

Ms Freivalds will be replaced temporarily by Deputy Prime Minister Bosse Ringholm, who has been ridiculed in the media after twice leaving his phone off the hook after interviews and being heard to make insulting comments about the reporters.

It was Ms Freivalds' second dramatic exit from Mr Persson's cabinet. She had to resign as justice minister in 2000 following revelations of property dealings contrary to government policy.

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