Rasmussen angered Turkey during a row over cartoons depicting Prophet Muhammed [EPA]
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Denmark's prime minister, has confirmed he is in the running to become Nato's next secretary general.
News of Rasmussen's attempt to succeed Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, chief of the military alliance, came as Nato leaders prepared to hold a summit in Strasbourg.
"Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen formally declared himself a candidate for the position of Nato secretary general during an extraordinary meeting of Nato ambassadors," on Thursday, the Danish Politiken newspaper reported on Friday.
"This doesn't mean that a decision has been taken. But he is absolutely still in the game," a source told the paper.
But Rasmussen's candidacy has been met with opposition from Turkey, which voiced anger at his handling of a row over cartoons in a Danish newspaper depicting the Prophet Muhammad.
Veto threat
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's prime minister, told Al Jazeera's Frost Over The World on Friday that Rasmussen would "not be elected if Turkey has a negative approach".
"We are receiving telephone calls from the Islamic world, telling us: 'By God, this person should not become the secretary general of Nato and we have to take into consideration all these reactions'."
Turkey has suggested it could veto the nomination of Rasmussen, who has been tipped as the favourite to succeed de Hoop Scheffer when he steps down on 31 July.
The Turkish prime minister, speaking at a conference in London earlier on Friday, said Rasmussen failed to act on Turkish requests to ban a Denmark-based TV station linked to Kurdish rebels, and criticised his stance during the row over the controversial Danish cartoons.
"How can those who have failed to contribute to peace, contribute to peace in the future? We have doubts ... and my personal opinion is negative," he said.
The military alliance is expected to announce a successor during its two-day summit in Strasbourg, which ends on Saturday.
A spokeswoman for Rasmussen said on Friday that the Danish leader told his party colleagues he was a candidate for the role.
Opposition to candidacy
The Danish prime minister had denied running for the post until three weeks ago, when he refused to comment further.
Erdogan said last week that Rasmussen would be unwelcome as Nato's chief.
The Turkish prime minister said he had received calls from the leaders of Islamic countries urging Turkey to veto the Danish prime minister.
Rasmussen infuriated some Muslims by speaking out in favour of
freedom of speech during a row over the publication of cartoons featuring caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in the Jyllands Posten newspaper in 2006.
Ankara has also criticised Denmark for failing to revoke the broadcasting licence of a Kurdish television station, which Turkey says is a mouthpiece for the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an armed group which is fighting the Turkish government.
He has also angered Turkey by opposing its membership in the European Union (EU).
And as for the onewho fears standing in front of His Lord and restrainsthe soul from impure evil desires and lusts, verily, Paradise will be his abode [79:40-41]
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the Danish prime minister, has been chosen to be the next secretary-general of Nato.
Turkey had objected to Rasmussen replacing Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, the current leader whose term runs out at the end of July, criticising his handling of a row over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, published in Denmark in 2005.
Rasmussen said he was "honoured" by the appointment and that it was a historic day for him and for Denmark.
"I'll do my utmost to live up to the confidence shown to me by my colleagues," he told a press conference in the French city of Strasbourg, hosting the Nato summit marking the military alliance's 60th anniversary.
'Mending fences'
Rob Reynolds, Al Jazeera's senior Washington correspondent, said Nato members must have reached an agreement with Turkey, which had the power of veto to block the move, to enable Rasmussen to take the post.
He said: "The fact the deal [to choose Rasmussen] would be perceived as somehow anti-Islam certainly cannot be a good thing.
"They mended their fences within the [Nato] family, but they have to sell this deal to the rest of the world, particularly the Muslim world," he said.
"Perhaps we will hear more from Rasmussen trying to explain his position, and make amends, or at least explain, what he did - and did not do - in regards to the Danish cartoon controversy."
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's prime minister, said he had approved the choice of Rasmussen for the post after Barack Obama, the US president, answered his objections.
Rasmussen, whose appointment had to be backed by all 28 Nato members, will succeed Dutch diplomat Scheffer on August 1.
And as for the onewho fears standing in front of His Lord and restrainsthe soul from impure evil desires and lusts, verily, Paradise will be his abode [79:40-41]
I think he is an excellent candidate. He is a strong atlanticist, is willing to come up for his principles, and probably most importantly in a job like that, he has a fairly high political profile. This makes it hard for NATO members to ignore him.
And as for the onewho fears standing in front of His Lord and restrainsthe soul from impure evil desires and lusts, verily, Paradise will be his abode [79:40-41]
lol thats Jan Peter Balkenende , Prime minister of the Netherlands.
And as for the onewho fears standing in front of His Lord and restrainsthe soul from impure evil desires and lusts, verily, Paradise will be his abode [79:40-41]
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