STOCKHOLM, Feb. 22 (Xinhuanet) -- Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that he would not approve an independent investigation of his government's handling of the crisis over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad, according to reports reaching here from Copenhagen on Wednesday.

¡¡¡¡The opposition had called for an investigation to determine whether the government had taken steps that had caused the situation to worsen. They were especially interested in finding out the impact of the prime minister's refusal to meet with 11 Muslim ambassadors shortly after the drawings were published.

    "If the opposition wants to the government to answer up to their actions, we will. But it will take place on the floor of theparliament, and they will get answers to whatever question they ask," Rasmussen said to the Copenhagen Post.

    Rasmussen said an investigation would complicate the work currently going on to ease the situation internationally.

    "Diplomats are working around the clock to find a solution. They need some space to work and shouldn't be bothered by concernsof investigations of 'who knew what and when'," he said.

    A majority in parliament support Rasmussen's minority government in its rejection of the investigation, but some in the opposition said they felt the government was afraid of revealing mistakes.

    Danish daily Jyllands-Poste published 12 cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad last September. The cartoons, which are considered blasphemous by most Muslims, provoked an outrage in theMuslim world and a boycott of Danish products in most Muslim countries. Enditem