Danish Welfare Minister Karen Jespersen resigned unexpectedly today, saying she had too extensive a brief, according to Reuters. "The reason is that there are too many different responsibilities gathered under the Welfare Ministry," she said in a press statement. Analysts said they were surprised at the timing, on the eve of a NATO summit where her boss, Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, is the front-runner to be appointed the next secretary-general of the alliance. The prime minister's office was not available for comment and Jespersen said she would stay in her job until a replacement is appointed. If Rasmussen gets the top job at NATO, his probable successor is Finance Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, who could make cabinet changes.
