NATO head urges Turkey, Austria to solve conflict – Reuters

COPENHAGEN NATO's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged Austria and Turkey on Friday to resolve a diplomatic dispute that has led to some cooperation programmers being blocked.

Austria, which is not a NATO member but cooperates with the alliance, led calls last year to halt Turkey's European Union accession talks. Vienna has also spoken out against Turkish politicians holding rallies in European countries.

Turkey, a NATO ally, has withdrawn from some alliance cooperation, saying the move is aimed only at Austria.

"It is a very unfortunate situation and it means some cooperation programs can't be launched ... We strongly urge them to solve it, so that it won't have negative consequences for the cooperation," Stoltenberg told reporters during a visit to the Danish capital Copenhagen.

(Reporting by Teis Jensen, writing by Nikolaj Skydsgaard; Editing by Gareth Jones)

SEOUL A U.S. policy of strategic patience with North Korea has ended, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in South Korea on Friday, adding that military action would be "on the table" if North Korea elevated the threat level.

BEIJING China will begin preparatory work this year for an environmental monitoring station on Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, an official said, as two U.S. senators introduced a bill to impose sanctions on its activities in the disputed waterway.

MANILA The Philippines derided the European parliament on Friday for interfering in its affairs after it issued a resolution calling for the release of a top critic of the president's war on drugs, which it said should target narcotics networks instead of users.

Read the original post:
NATO head urges Turkey, Austria to solve conflict - Reuters