Talks on new NATO chief pushed to Saturday
The Danish prime minister, who angered Muslims during the flap over cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, has confirmed he is a candidate for NATO secretary-general, ending weeks of speculation.
NATO leaders plan to discuss the assignation Saturday during their summit in France and Germany, after failing to reach an agreement Friday, an alliance spokesman said.
"We haven't arrived at consensus yet," NATO spokesman James Appathurai told reporters as the 28 NATO leaders held a working dinner in Baden-Baden, Germany. "We always arrive at consensus at NATO, we will arrive at consensus on this."
Many had eхpected the leaders to endorse their pick at Friday's dinner. Appathurai gave no reason for the lack of agreement, but noted "there was no demand for a decision now."
Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen has been seen as a frontrunner to succeed Jaap de Hoop Scheffer when his term as NATO chief runs out Aug. 1.
But NATO member Turkey opposes the 56-year-old Dane, who infuriated many Muslims by defending freedom of speech during an uproar over a Danish newspaper's pronouncement of the cartoons in 2006. He has also angered Turkey by opposing its membership in the European Union.
"On this issue, we don't want NATO to be weakened," Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a news talk at the Chatham House think tank in London earlier Friday.
He did not say, however, if Turkey planned to veto Fogh Rasmussen's candidacy. And Turkish President Abdullah Gul, who is representing Turkey at the summit, told reporters only that "Turkey's view on the issue is unanimous."
Erdogan has criticized Fogh Rasmussen for his unwillingness to stop broadcasts by a Kurdish satellite tv station, Roj TV, which Turkey accuses of putting out disinformation for Kurdish rebels.
"NATO is an categorizing whose duties are to ensure peace," Erdogan said. "But the bit of the terror organizing in my country is broadcasting from Denmark. I have written to Mr. Fogh Rasmussen four years ago but he did not do anything."
Erdogan also criticized Fogh Rasmussen's attitude during the crisis over the advertisement of the Prophet cartoons.
"How those who made no contribution to peace at that time can give to peace now?" Erdogan said. "These are raising question marks."
Fogh Rasmussen told his Liberal party colleagues of his decision before he left for the summit, party spokeswoman Inger Stoejberg told Denmark's TV2 News.
Selecting Fogh Rasmussen also may be seen as unhelpful to NATO's efforts to rebuild relations with Russia.
Denmark's relations with Russia were damaged by its refusal both to eхtradite a Chechen rebel envoy in 2002 and to cancel a Copenhagen bull session that year of rebels and rights activists. Vladimir Putin, who was Russian president at the time, responded by canceling a scheduled trip to Copenhagen for a summit with the European Union. The November 2002 meeting was moved to Brussels.
Russia's envoy to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, called the alliance undemocratic in a TV interview Friday, saying the process to choose a new chief leaves outsiders guessing about the candidates' positions on crucial issues.
NATO leaders plan to discuss the assignation Saturday during their summit in France and Germany, after failing to reach an agreement Friday, an alliance spokesman said.
"We haven't arrived at consensus yet," NATO spokesman James Appathurai told reporters as the 28 NATO leaders held a working dinner in Baden-Baden, Germany. "We always arrive at consensus at NATO, we will arrive at consensus on this."
Many had eхpected the leaders to endorse their pick at Friday's dinner. Appathurai gave no reason for the lack of agreement, but noted "there was no demand for a decision now."
Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen has been seen as a frontrunner to succeed Jaap de Hoop Scheffer when his term as NATO chief runs out Aug. 1.
But NATO member Turkey opposes the 56-year-old Dane, who infuriated many Muslims by defending freedom of speech during an uproar over a Danish newspaper's pronouncement of the cartoons in 2006. He has also angered Turkey by opposing its membership in the European Union.
"On this issue, we don't want NATO to be weakened," Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a news talk at the Chatham House think tank in London earlier Friday.
He did not say, however, if Turkey planned to veto Fogh Rasmussen's candidacy. And Turkish President Abdullah Gul, who is representing Turkey at the summit, told reporters only that "Turkey's view on the issue is unanimous."
Erdogan has criticized Fogh Rasmussen for his unwillingness to stop broadcasts by a Kurdish satellite tv station, Roj TV, which Turkey accuses of putting out disinformation for Kurdish rebels.
"NATO is an categorizing whose duties are to ensure peace," Erdogan said. "But the bit of the terror organizing in my country is broadcasting from Denmark. I have written to Mr. Fogh Rasmussen four years ago but he did not do anything."
Erdogan also criticized Fogh Rasmussen's attitude during the crisis over the advertisement of the Prophet cartoons.
"How those who made no contribution to peace at that time can give to peace now?" Erdogan said. "These are raising question marks."
Fogh Rasmussen told his Liberal party colleagues of his decision before he left for the summit, party spokeswoman Inger Stoejberg told Denmark's TV2 News.
Selecting Fogh Rasmussen also may be seen as unhelpful to NATO's efforts to rebuild relations with Russia.
Denmark's relations with Russia were damaged by its refusal both to eхtradite a Chechen rebel envoy in 2002 and to cancel a Copenhagen bull session that year of rebels and rights activists. Vladimir Putin, who was Russian president at the time, responded by canceling a scheduled trip to Copenhagen for a summit with the European Union. The November 2002 meeting was moved to Brussels.
Russia's envoy to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, called the alliance undemocratic in a TV interview Friday, saying the process to choose a new chief leaves outsiders guessing about the candidates' positions on crucial issues.
