Pentagon chief ends Bosnia visit

The American Defence Secretary, William Cohen, has left for Washington after visiting US peacekeeping troops at bases in Italy, Macedonia and Bosnia-Hercegovina.

His final stopover was in Tuzla in north-eastern Bosnia, the base for the eight-thousand US soldiers serving as part of the NATO-led Stabilisation Force.

Mr Cohen told the troops that they were the saviours of Bosnia, because of their part in enforcing the Dayton peace accords.

On a visit to Bosnia on Monday, President Clinton repeated that US troops would stay on in the country to assist the reconstruction of Bosnia.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service