Bush would like Europeans "to be the peacekeepers" in the Balkans

Asked whether he planned to raise the issue of reducing the American presence in Kosovo, Bush said, "I think they are very aware of it ... I'm in consultation with our allies."

"Yes, I'll make it clear to them. I think (designated Secretary of State) Colin Powell will make it clear to them that this is our intention ... That we'd like for them to be the peacekeepers. And they know that," Bush added.

But he said he does not have deadlines in mind. "Listen, I'll honour the agreements that the president has ¯ that our country has made. And we've got an agreement to be in the Balkans. And it's going to take a while, and I understand that." Bush declined to comment on Bill Clinton's current Middle East peace plan, or outline any new ideas.

The president-elect, who will be inaugurated in Washington on Saturday, also said he felt the United States government should not support international organizations that promote abortions in foreign countries.

"Organizations that promote abortions are organizations I don't want to support," Bush said, adding, "with taxpayer money".

Bush said he would review a number of executive orders signed by Clinton in recent weeks, first and foremost an order protecting up to 23.5 million hectares of national forest land from future commercial logging, road building and drilling for oil and natural gas. "I've said that we are going to review parcel by parcel Western lands to determine the cost-benefit ratio for America. We need energy," Bush asserted.

"Conservation is important. That's going to be an important ingredient ... but we need energy," Bush said. "The California (power) crunch really is the result of not enough power-generating plants and then not enough power to power the power of generating plants. We need to move natural gas, whether it be from Alaska or on our Western lands. All those properties need to be reviewed," he said.

Bush, in the interview, also gave a sense of the teamwork he seeks to achieve in his administration. "One of the things that I am mindful of is not only picking people, but building a team. I hope history will say that George W. was effective at building a team. That not only means competent people, but it means forging them via the honest and open discussion that is necessary for decisions to be made," he explained.

"Loyalty is somebody who walks into my office and says, 'Here is my opinion,' or 'I hear you are thinking this way. I don't agree with you.' Loyalty is somebody who walks into the National Security Team and says, 'You believe this. I believe this.'"

"...And it's a two-way street, by the way. A loyal president, someone loyal to the team, the chief says, 'I expect to hear from you. I don't want to muzzle you. I want to know.' And that opinions be open, and that I listen, and I decide. And once the decision is made, everybody binds together and implements," Bush added."

(dpa)