Danish prime minister Anders Rasmussen has apparently responded to Turkey’s threat to veto his appointment as NATO Secretary General by sending two senior prosecutors to Ankara to discuss shutting down Roj TV, the broadcasting organ of the PKK which operates out of Denmark. The PKK is regarded by Turkey as a terrorist organisation.
Turkey has been exerting efforts to shut down Roj TV for four years, but was not getting any results. Because of the affair, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan cancelled a joint press conference with Mr Rasmussen during his visit to Turkey in 2005.
Mr Erdogan spoke to Mr Rasmussen over the phone and told him Turkey would object to his appointment as NATO Secretary General because he had been insensitive to the crisis which broke out due to a cartoon about Prophet Mohammed and did not cooperate regarding Roj TV.
(Source: Vatan via Turk.net)
Denmark has denied that Mr Rasmussen’s move has any connection with the NATO appointment. State Prosecutor Lise-Lotte Nilas told the Politiken newspaper that Denmark made a number of requests to Turkey some time ago asking for information, but these requests have not been fully met.
