NATO Struggles to Name New Secretary General

Turkey blocks Denmark's Nato hopes Aljazeera — Turkey has blocked Europe's candidate to head Nato, souring a summit marking the military alliance's 60th anniversary and opening a new rift between Ankara and its Western European allies. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the Danish prime minister, had been the frontrunner to head the alliance, but Turkey objected on Friday, criticising his handling of a row over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed. click to read complete article

Image fears complicate NATO quest for new chief Reuters UK — NATO wants to name a new secretary-general at a summit starting on Friday, but concerns over its image in the Muslim world and elsewhere are hampering the quest for the right candidate. Front-runner is Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, but Turkey is unhappy with his handling of a 2006 row over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad and other allies privately wonder how his appointment would go down in the Muslim world. click to read complete article

Turkey expected to lift veto on Danish PM becoming Nato chief Times UK — Frantic behind-the-scenes efforts appeared to have saved Nato from the embarrassment of failing to find a new Secretary-General to take over just as the alliance turns 60. The favoured candidate, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the Danish Prime Minister, had been blackballed by the Turks because of his handling of the publication in a Danish newspaper of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad more than three years ago. click to read complete article