US troops greeted President Bill Clinton and his former presidential opponent, Bob Dole, with rousing cheers as both men thanked American peacekeepers for doing something "profoundly important".

President Clinton thanks troops for a tremendous job (1'05")

Wearing a leather jacket bearing the insignia of the Nato-led peace force, Mr Clinton told US troops they have done a "great and noble thing".

Mr Clinton was speaking at Eagle Base in Tuzla, one of a number of US camps in Bosnia and home to 2,000 soldiers.

"Because of what you and our other Nato allies did, the country has stayed on the path to peace.

"Because of you, free and fair elections have been held. There is freedom of movement, police reform has begun, a lot of the airwaves are filled with information instead of vicious, partisan hatred.

President Clinton salutes the troops at Eagle Base

"Bosnia is no longer the powder keg at the heart of Europe because of you," he said.

Mr Clinton joked about the food, the mud and the troops' experience of living in tents.

He also told them they would each receive one hour of free phone time to call home for Christmas.

Mr Clinton then yielded the microphone to Bob Dole, his defeated Republican opponent in 1996 and a firm supporter of the President's decision to send troops to Bosnia and extend that mission beyond its earlier mid-1998 deadline.

Bob Dole salutes the troops from the American people (1'40")

"We don't like to keep anyone away from their families and hopefully one of these days very soon there will be a successful conclusion and these three countries can govern themselves and you can go home," Mr Dole told the troops.

Former Republican presidential candidate, Bob Dole, and his wife, Elizabeth

Earlier in the day, President Clinton addressed the people of Bosnia and called for ethnic communities to work together in bringing about lasting peace.

Speaking on television on his first visit to Sarajevo, he urged them to find more opportunities to reach across the lines of division for the sake of their children's future.

Mr Clinton also held two hours of talks with Bosnia's three-man presidency: Alija Izetbegovic, a Muslim, Kresimir Zubak, a Croat, and Momcilo Krajisnik, a Serb.

Joined by his wife, Hillary, and daughter, Chelsea, Mr Clinton was in Bosnia to boost morale following his announcement that American troops would stay in Bosnia indefinitely. They had previously been scheduled to leave in June.

Back to top | BBC News Home | BBC Homepage	©