After getting assurances, Ankara gives danish PM green light for top NATO post

Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, just named NATO's new secretary-general, today faces his first test on reaching out to a skeptical Muslim world after his bid for the post faced Turkish opposition over his handling of the 2006 Prophet Muhammad cartoon crisis. After 36 hours of intense bargaining, which involved intervention by US President Barack Obama, Turkey agreed on Saturday afternoon to lift its opposition to Rasmussen. Ankara gave the go-ahead after receiving assurances, certified by Obama, that Rasmussen will ease Muslim concerns in a speech today at an Alliance of Civilizations meeting in Istanbul. As a result of the tough bargaining during NATO's 60th anniversary summit, co-hosted last week by Germany and France, Turkey also won assurances for better NATO ties with the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and more Turkish presence in the NATO command, in what appears to be an Obama-brokered deal. Obama also had an hour-long private meeting with President Abdullah Gul, who represented Turkey at the NATO summit, easing Turkey's concerns in order to unblock a deal over Rasmussen. The Danish prime minister was also present for part of the meeting. In addition, Rasmussen also vowed to deal with the issue of Roj-TV, a Danish-based TV station which Ankara calls a propaganda machine for the terrorist PKK. Rasmussen has become unpopular in Ankara for showing unwillingness to take steps against Roj-TV, despite evidence presented by Ankara that it is linked to the PKK, an organization designated by the EU as a terrorist group. In related news, Gul expressed pleasure at the understanding of Turkey's concerns over Rasmussen taking the top NATO post and thanked Obama for helping to broker a deal. Gul also praised the NATO admission of Albania and Croatia, adding that Turkey had always supported an open-door policy, and wants Macedonia to join the alliance too.