Italy will lose its hold on NATO's second-top political post, the military alliance said on Wednesday, announcing that from mid-2012 the job will be awarded to the United States, dpa reported.
Under an informal arrangement, the position of NATO Deputy Secretary General since 1985 has been held by a succession of Italian diplomats.
The incumbent Claudio Bisogniero, whose mandate was due to expire at the end of September 2011, has seen his term extended until June 1, 2012, a statement said.
But from that date onwards, Alexander Vershbow, US ambassador to NATO in 1998-2001 and currently Assistant Secretary of Defence for International Security Affairs, will take over.
"NATO will be able to benefit from Ambassador Bisogniero's indispensable contribution to the reform and transformation issues on which he played such a key role in the run-up to the Lisbon summit," NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in a statement.
"I have thought it best to take an early decision on Ambassador Bisogniero's successor to ensure a smooth transition in this crucial post," he added.
A NATO diplomat told the German Press Agency dpa that the decision was a reflection of "Rasmussen's rotation policy as regards to the alliance's top jobs" and was not politically motivated.
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