  Using an effective Lagrangian approach as well as the Quark-Gluon Strings
Model we analyze near-threshold production of a0(980)-mesons in the reaction NN
-> d K \bar{K} as well as the background of non-resonant K\bar{K}-pair
production. We argue that the reaction pp -> d K^+ \bar{K}^0 at an energy
release Q<=100 MeV is dominated by the intermediate production of the
a0(980)-resonance. At larger energies the non-resonant K^+\bar{K}^0-pair
production - where the kaons are produced in a relative P-wave - becomes
important. Then effects of final-state interactions are evaluated in a
unitarized scattering-length approach and found to be in the order of a 20%
suppression close to threshold. Thus in present experiments at the Cooler
Synchrotron COSY-J\"ulich for Q<=107 MeV the a_0^+ signal can reliably be
separated from the non-resonant K^+\bar{K^0} background.
