REUTERS: BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Turkey could block Denmark's prime minister from becoming the next NATO chief given concerns over his past stance on Turkey and a row over Danish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad, a Turkish official said on Sunday.
Current secretary general Dutchman Jaap de Hoop Scheffer steps down on July 31. His successor is expected to be named at an April 3-4 NATO summit.
NATO diplomats and a U.S. source said on Saturday Washington had told NATO allies it would back Anders Fogh Rasmussen as the next secretary general but getting Turkey to agree would be key.
A Turkish official said the Turkish position could be set in coming days, but Rasmussen was "tainted" in Turkey's eyes.
"It may come to the veto," he told Reuters. "We will have to see." NATO leadership positions are filled by consensus among the 26-nation military pact. >>> Reporting by Paul Taylor and David Brunnstrom | Sunday, March 22, 2009
