Clinton Weighing Bosnia Trip in January

WASHINGTON — President Clinton is considering a visit to Bosnia-Herzegovina to meet U.S. troops there in late January, but only if it is appropriate, White House officials said Friday.

They said a decision on a trip had not yet been made and that one would wait for a report from Defense Secretary William J. Perry.

Perry is scheduled to visit Bosnia on Wednesday to meet American troops who are among a 60,000-member NATO force massing there to implement a Bosnian peace accord signed earlier this month.

One official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said late January has been under consideration for a trip, but only if it would not interfere with the troops’ deployment.

But White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry sought to dampen speculation about a January trip. “The president wants to go when it’s appropriate, and there’s no planning going on here about any specific date or time period,” he said.