Swedish Foreign Minister Resigns Over Cartoons.

Source: Reuters via AlertNet

Apparently, she had something to do with the closing of a site belonging to a far-right political party. The site had published the infamous "Prophet Mohammad" cartoons.

She decided to step down because she can no longer do her duties as needed.

Swedish Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds quit on Tuesday after a row over the closure of a Web site with cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad, embarrassing Prime Minister Goran Persson six months ahead of elections.

Social Democrat (SDP) leader Persson, behind in polls that favour the conservative opposition in September's vote, had for months resisted calls to sack the unpopular minister over her response to the Asian tsunami, in which 500 Swedes died.

But she was forced to resign when it was revealed this week that she had not given full information about her role in the closure of a site belonging to a far-right political party which published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad offensive to Muslims.

"Under the current circumstances I find it impossible to conduct my work and therefore choose to resign," Freivalds said at a joint news conference with the prime minister.

And here's something interesting that you might have not known about the whole cartoon scandal:

She became the fourth government minister around the world to lose a job over the cartoons originating in Denmark. In Italy a minister resigned after sporting a T-shirt with the cartoons, sparking riots in Libya which cost Libya's interior minister his job. Riots also cost Lebanon's interior minister his post.

Oddly enough, this isn't the first time she has left office.

It was Latvian-born Freivalds' second dramatic exit from Persson's cabinet. She had to quit as justice minister in 2000 over property dealings contrary to government policy.

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