ARAB-EUROPEAN RELATIONS - Feb 6 -Denmark Faces Iran Trade Ban Threat.

Iran moves to the forefront of the controversy over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad as protesters attacked the Danish and Austrian embassies in Tehran and the government is said to be considering a trade ban against the Nordic country. The protests in Iran added urgency to European diplomatic efforts to seek regional support to calm tensions amid violent protests in Lebanon, Syria and Afghanistan where four people were killed on Feb 6. State TV in Iran, where reaction to the cartoons had been muted, possibly because of preoccupations with the dispute over its nuclear programme, reported the country would suspend trade with Denmark. It also reported that Danish-registered ships entering Iranian ports would be charged "heavy" fees. The commerce ministry was not available for comment. The moves came as Iranian protesters pelted the embassy of Austria, holder of the EU presidency, with petrol bombs and stones. Protesters later attacked the Danish embassy. Meanwhile, the EU stepped up efforts aimed at agreeing a joint statement with the 22-member Arab League appealing for calm. Philippe Douste-Blazy, French FM, called on Arab countries to "talk with moderation" about what was happening following the violent protests on Feb 4. The controversy started with a series of caricatures in a Danish newspaper in September. But last week popular outrage and a boycott of Danish goods spread across the Muslim and Arab world after some European newspapers reprinted the caricatures. The crisis appears to have become a rallying cry for other grievances and a convenient pretext for hardline governments and groups to advance their political agenda. The US accused Syria, where the Danish and Norwegian embassies were set alight on Feb 4, of exploiting anger over the cartoons for political purposes. In Lebanon too, Sunday's burning of the Danish consulate in Beirut was seen by many politicians as a deliberate attempt by Syrian agents to provoke sectarian unrest. Moderate Muslim groups in the Middle East and Europe cautioned against violence.