BRUSSELS, Nov 9 (AFP) - The EU's anti-terrorism chief called Tuesday for calm between Muslims and other communities after the slaying of a Dutch film-maker, stressing that Europe does not believe in a clash of civilizations.
But Dutchman Gijs De Vries refused to speculate on the specific motives behind the slaying of controversial director Theo van Gogh, which has been followed by a series of attacks on mosques and a church in the Netherlands.
"The bombing of schools anywhere in the world is an inexcusable act of barbarity," he told reporters, when asked about the bombing Monday of a Dutch Islamic school which has spread fear among the country's 900,000 Muslims.
He said it is "extremely important for all of us, whatever (our) religious background, to remain engaged on the basis of our common principles ... and our common desire to solve political problems through ... democratic institutions."
"Violence is incompatible with democracy," De Vries added, urging all sides to make "sure we do not act out political conflicts through violence."
Van Gogh was killed by a suspected Islamic radical on November 2 in an attack that has shocked traditionally tolerant Dutch society and fuelled ethnic tensions.
In addition to the Islamic school fire-bombing, three mosques were targeted by arsonists and two by vandals at the weekend, while arsonists set fire to a church in the Dutch town of Utrecht late Monday.
An Islamist group has threatened to make the Netherlands "pay dear," according to an Islamist website, while an opinion poll Tuesday said 40 percent of Dutch people believe Muslims should no longer be welcomed in their country.
De Vries, speaking after talks with UN anti-terrorism ambassador Javier Ruperez, said that the EU rejects any automatic linkage between Islam and terrorism.
"The EU does not believe in a clash of civilizations," said the EU official, who was named to the new job of European Union anti-terrorism coordinator after the March 11 bombings in Madrid.
In other comments De Vries, speaking after talks with UN anti-terror official Javier Ruperez, warned that Europe still remains under serious threat from terrorism.
"We in Europe still face a serious and sustained threat of further terrorist attacks and for our security in Europe it is essential that we build a global coalition against terrorism which is effective and which (can) help us to manage down the level of the threat regionally and globally," De Vries said.
He listed three key aims in battling global terrorism, including the ratification of key UN conventions; setting up a pool of EU experts to help third countries fight terrorism, and tackling the root causes of militancy.
On the last point he said: "If we want successfully to fight terrorism we have to understand what motivates terrorists and how they are motivated," he said.
"We recognize that there are people in the Muslim world who feel threatened and badly treated and that might provide grounds for the further rise of fanaticism," he added.
11/09/2004 16:37 GMT - AFP