NATO named Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen as its next leader on Saturday after overcoming Turkish resistance to his appointment. Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen will be the next NATO secretary-general, diplomats said.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan had urged NATO to look for alternatives to Rasmussen. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi spoke to Erdogan by telephone on Saturday morning to try to break the deadlock, Reuters reported.