Norway has denounced the publication of cartoons defaming the Prophet Mohammad in some Norwegian press, the official SANA news agency reported on Tuesday.

During a meeting with Syria's Grand Mufti Sheikh Ahmed Badreddin Hassoun, Norwegian ambassador in Damascus Svein Sevje said the Norwegian people and government denounce the offense to the Islamic world.

For his part, Hassoun said that Syria encourages dialogue to spread the culture of amity, tolerance and peace among civilizations and to preserve the values of holy issues and religious symbols.

The 12 caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad initially published in a Danish daily last September and reprinted recently in Norway and several other European countries sparked widespread protests in the Islamic world, as any depiction of the Prophet is considered blasphemous by Muslims.

Angry Syrian demonstrators torched Danish and Norwegian embassies in Damascus last Saturday.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry expressed regret on Sunday "over the violent acts which accompanied the protests and caused material damages at some embassies" in Damascus.

Source: Xinhua