The United States does not see any "huge sense of urgency" to resolve a dispute over the choice of the next NATO secretary-general at the alliance's summit on Saturday, a U.S. official said.

"President Obama is engaged in that discussion and we'll see where it ends up," a senior U.S. official told reporters attending the summit, noting that Washington traditionally has not publicly stated its preference for the post.

Turkey blocked a candidate, Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who had emerged as front-runner to replace Dutchman Jaap de Hoop Scheffer as secretary-general when he steps down at the end on July.

A German official claimed that "only" Turkey was blocking Rasmussen's candidacy, saying: "Twenty-seven member states are backing Rasmussen. We are talking with the Turks."

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Güncelleme Tarihi: 04 Nisan 2009, 12:11