TEHRAN -- The director of press, corporate and communication of the Frankfurt Book Fair, Katja Böhne, has said that the event will not cancel its plan for Salman Rushdie’s speech.

Earlier last week, the organizers of the book fair said, “On the significance of freedom of expression for authors and the book industry”, Rushdie will give the keynote address at the opening press conference of the fair on October 13.

Due to Rushdie’s blasphemous novel about Islam “The Satanic Verses”, Iran has asked the organizers of the world’s largest event in the publishing industry to call off the plan, which has been set for October 13. Otherwise, Iran has threatened to boycott the fair.

The Frankfurt Book Fair has always been a supporter of freedom of expression, Böhne told the Persian service the Mehr News Agency on Tuesday and added that the organizers do not expect any country to withdraw the book fair due to Rushdie’s speech.

With the largest Muslim population, Indonesia will be the guest of honor of the Frankfurt Book Fair, which will be held from October 14 to 18.

Böhne said that Indonesia has made no objection to the book fair’s plan for Rushdie’s speech.

“The Satanic Verses” released in 1988 provoked Muslims’ outrage, which culminated in a fatwa by Imam Khomeini, the founder of Islamic Republic, calling for Rushdie’s death.

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