issued. 7 December Labour strikes begin in Pakistan in response to the cartoons. 17 December The second Danish Imam delegation, headed by Sheik Raeed Huleyhel, traveled to Lebanon and returned to Denmark 31 December 2005. In Lebanon they met the Grand Mufti Muhammad Rashid Kabbani, top Shiite Sheikh Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah, Maronite Church leader Nasrallah Sfeir. During that time, Imam Ahmed Akkari also visited Syria to present their case to Grand Mufti Ahmed Badr-Eddine Hassoun. Furthermore, a smaller delegation traveled to Turkey while individuals visited Sudan, Morocco, Algeria. and Qatar, where Abu Laban briefed Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi of the Muslim Brotherhood. 19 December Twenty-two former Danish ambassadors criticize the Prime Minister of Denmark for not meeting with the eleven ambassadors in October. The Council of Europe criticises the Danish government for invoking the "freedom of the press" in its refusal to take action against the "insulting" cartoons. 29 December The Arab League criticizes the Danish government for not acting in the matter. 2006 January 1 January The Prime Minister of Denmark makes his yearly New Year's speech, where he says: "I condemn any expression, action or indication that attempts to demonise groups of people ..." 6 January The Regional Public Prosecutor in Viborg decides to discontinue the investigation of whether Jyllandsposten had committed an offence under section 140 (publicly ridiculing or insulting dogmas of worship of any lawfully existing religious community in Denmark) and 266b (dissemination of statements or other information by which a group of people are threatened, insulted or degraded on account of e.g. their religion) of the Danish penalty law because there was not a reasonable suspicion that a criminal offence indictable by the state had been committed and "the right to freedom of speech must be exercised". The original claim was filed on 27 October 2005. 7 January Two pictures are printed in the Swedish newspaper Expressen and its sister editions Kvällsposten and GT. 10 January The Norwegian newspaper Magazinet publishes all 12 of the cartoons. 23 January The Danish government delivers its official response to the UN Special Rapporteurs' request of 24 November 2005. 24 January The government of Saudi Arabia issues its first public condemnation of the cartoons. 26 January Saudi Arabia recalls its ambassador from Denmark, and Saudi Arabian consumers begin to boycott Danish products. Consumers in Kuwait and in some of the other Middle Eastern countries soon follow. The Norwegian Ministry of