Keep calm, says Holbrooke

As the legal wrangling continues, the United States administration has reassured the world that there's no need for concern.

The American ambassador to the United Nations, Richard Holbrooke, told the Security Council that, despite the drama over who'd be the next US president, America's ability to carry out its foreign policy was undiminished.

President Clinton himself, who's in Brunei, said the American people were relaxed about the delay in naming his successor -- and the rest of the world should be too.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service