Copenhagen - NATO leaders reached a deal Saturd

Baden-Baden, Germany  - NATO leaders meeting in the German resort of Baden-Baden failed to reach consensus late Friday on naming Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen as the next NATO secretary general, officials told dpa, the German news agency.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul resisted impassioned pleas by US President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy to agree to have the 56-year-old Rasmussen succeed outgoing NATO head Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.

Baden-Baden, Germany - NATO leaders failed to agree on the appointment of Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen as the alliance's next secretary general during dinner talks in the German city of Baden-Baden, officials said Friday.

Rasmussen, 56, had been tipped as the frontrunner to replace the current NATO chief, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, when the Dutchman steps down at the end of July.

Copenhagen  - Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Friday held meetings with his cabinet and confirmed he was a candidate for new NATO secretary general, Danish media reported.

After the meetings, the premier left for a summit of the defence alliance, but did not met the press.

Rasmussen, who has been premier since 2001, has been mentioned as a favourite to become the new secretary general of NATO. However, Turkey has expressed opposition to his appointment.

Brussels/Copenhagen  - Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, 56, has officially thrown his hat into the ring for the position of NATO secretary general, Danish media reported Thursday.

According to the newspaper Politiken, Rasmussen made his announcement at a meeting of NATO ambassadors on the eve of a NATO summit in Germany and France to celebrate the defence alliance's 60th anniversary.

Turkey opposes Rasmussen's candidacy, which means the heads of NATO countries will have to deliberate on the decision during the summit.

Brussels  - Turkey has nothing against Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said Friday, three days after a top official warned that Ankara could block the Dane's appointment as NATO secretary general.

"We as Turkey don't have any attitude against the prime minister or anyone else. He is one of the most successful prime ministers in Europe," Gul told reporters in Brussels after meetings with European Union officials.