Reuters - The Iranian embassy in Germany has
demanded a written apology from a Berlin newspaper that printed a cartoon of
Iranian soccer players dressed as suicide bombers and threatened legal
action if none is forthcoming.
The sketch, published on Friday by Der Tagesspiegel, shows four moustachioed
soccer players wearing Iran shirts with explosives strapped to their chests
next to four German soldiers in a soccer stadium.
A caption above read: "Why the German army should definitely be used during
the soccer World Cup!", referring to a debate in Germany about whether to
use troops to help with security during the month-long tournament which
begins June 9.
Stephan-Andreas Casdorff, the daily's managing editor, said on Monday he
regretted the reaction to the drawing but did not consider an apology
necessary.
The cartoon's artist had received three death threats and had been forced to
leave his apartment, he said, adding that the police was investigating the
threats.
In a letter to Der Tagesspiegel seen by Reuters on Monday, the Iranian
embassy in Berlin said the cartoon was offensive and accused the paper of
using sport to make a political point in an "irresponsible and immoral way".
