Malaysia: Pope's apology is acceptable

Pope Benedict XVI’s expression of regret following his remarks on Islam and violence is acceptable, but the pontiff should avoid making future comments that could offend Muslims, Malaysia’s prime minister has said.

“I think we can accept it and we hope there are no more statements that can anger the Muslims,” Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told Malaysian journalists last night in New York, where he is attending the UN General Assembly.

Malaysia, which chairs the 57-member Organisation of the Islamic Conference, the world’s biggest Muslim bloc, previously demanded that the pope offer a full apology and retract what he said.

Abdullah’s comments, carried today by national news agency Bernama, came after he met US President George Bush, who told the Malaysian leader he believed that Pope Benedict XVI was sincere in apologising following the angry response of Muslims to his recent speech.