ANKARA, Turkey, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- NATO Secretary-General Andres Fogh Rasmussen urged Turkey, the only predominantly Muslim NATO member, to increase its military commitment in Afghanistan.
Rasmussen arrived in Turkey on Thursday, and in the evening took part in an iftar, the traditional fast-breaking dinner observed by Muslims all over the world during Ramadan.
"Please see my presence here tonight as a clear manifestation of my respect for Islam," Rasmussen said. The dinner host was Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who just a few months ago tried to block Rasmussen's nomination because of his role in the Prophet Mohammed cartoon row from 2006.
Citing press freedom, Rasmussen, then Denmark's prime minister, defended a Danish newspaper's decision to print caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad, including one where he was depicted wearing a bomb instead of a turban. The republication of the cartoons in other newspapers sparked worldwide unrest that killed some 50 people. Rasmussen has also spoken out against EU membership for Turkey. Ankara dropped its opposition to Rasmussen only after intense mediation by U.S. President Barack Obama.
Rasmussen has been on an appeasement course with Turkey ever since, and his main goals as NATO's top official include a pledge to intensify "dialog and cooperation" with the Muslim world.
Rasmussen is trying to convince Turkey to boost its role in Afghanistan. The country currently has 730 troops stationed with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, but they are confined to Kabul.
Rasmussen told a Turkish newspaper that he would be happy if Turkey expanded its role by sending combat troops to Afghanistan. "It would be met with great satisfaction," he said in an interview with the Milliyet newspaper. Turkish troops fighting the Taliban could help convince other Muslim nations that the operation is "not a religious war but a struggle against terrorism," Rasmussen said.
Rasmussen also touched on the conflict over Cyprus between Turkey and Greece; before his arrival in Turkey, he had indicated that the diplomatic tensions between the two NATO members were affecting alliance efforts in Afghanistan and Africa.
Cyprus, a popular Mediterranean tourist destination, has been divided into a Republic of Cyprus -- the Greek Cypriot south -- and a Turkish-occupied north since a 1974 Turkish invasion. Ankara does not recognize the Republic of Cyprus, an EU member. Its ships and planes are banned from Turkish ports and airports.
