TEL AVIV, September 6 (RIA Novosti) - Sweden's Foreign Minister Carl Bildt has canceled a planned visit to Israel, an Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Sunday, amid a scandal over a Swedish newspaper article.
The relations between Israel and Sweden have been strained after an article in a Swedish tabloid accused Israeli soldiers of harvesting organs from dead Palestinians. Israel has demanded that Sweden condemn the report but the Swedish government has refused to do so, referring to the freedom of speech.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry did not name the reasons for the cancellation of Bildt's visit, scheduled for Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Israeli news web site Ynet said Bildt had decided to postpone his visit after learning that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was considering refusing to meet with him.
