Clinton/NNP Picks/VBZ General/NNP to/TO Command/NNP NATO/NNP 
WASHINGTON/NNP (/( Reuter/NNP )/SYM -/: President/NNP Clinton/NNP has/VBZ chosen/VBN U.S./NNP Army/NNP Gen./NNP Wesley/NNP Clark/NNP to/TO become/VB commander/NN of/IN all/DT allied/VBN NATO/NNP forces/NNS and/CC American/JJ troops/NNS in/IN Europe/NNP ,/, a/DT senior/JJ Pentagon/NNP official/NN said/VBD Monday/NNP ./. 
Clark/NNP ,/, 52/CD ,/, speaks/VBZ Russian/NNP and/CC was/VBD a/DT member/NN of/IN the/DT American/JJ team/NN that/WDT helped/VBD broker/NN the/DT 1995/CD Dayton/NNP peace/NN accords/NNS on/IN Bosnia/NNP ./. 
He/PRP is/VBZ based/VBN in/IN Panama/NNP as/IN chief/NN of/IN U.S./NNP forces/NNS in/IN Latin/NNP America/NNP and/CC would/MD replace/VB retiring/VBG U.S./NNP Army/NNP Gen/NNP ./. 
George/NNP Joulwan/NNP as/IN Supreme/NNP Allied/NNP Commander/NNP of/IN NATO/NNP in/IN Europe/NNP (/( SACEUR/NNP )/SYM based/VBN in/IN Mons/NNS ,/, Belgium/NNP ./. 
The/DT Pentagon/NNP official/NN ,/, who/WP asked/VBD not/RB to/TO be/VB identified/VBN ,/, confirmed/VBD a/DT Washington/NNP Post/NNP report/NN that/DT announcement/NN of/IN Clark/NNP 's/POS NATO/NNP nomination/NN ,/, which/WDT would/MD require/VB approval/NN by/IN the/DT Atlantic/NNP alliance/NN ,/, would/MD come/VB as/RB early/RB as/IN Monday/NNP ./. 
"/" The/DT president/NN thinks/VBZ very/RB highly/RB of/IN him/PRP ,/, but/CC more/RBR importantly/RB the/DT secretary/NN of/IN defense/NN does/VBZ ,/, "/" White/NNP House/NNP spokesman/NN Mike/NNP McCurry/NNP also/RB told/VBD reporters/NNS in/IN response/NN to/TO questions/NNS ./. 
McCurry/NNP did/VBD not/RB dispute/VB the/DT report/NN on/IN Clark/NNP ,/, adding/VBG that/IN the/DT White/NNP House/NNP "/" might/MD even/RB have/VB some/DT happy/JJ news/NN on/IN that/DT front/NN shortly/RB ./. "/" 
The/DT Pentagon/NNP official/NN told/VBD Reuters/NNP earlier/RBR :/: "/" The/DT job/NN of/IN SACEUR/NNP and/CC of/IN commander/NN of/IN U.S./NNP troops/NNS in/IN Europe/NNP requires/VBZ somebody/NN to/TO be/VB both/DT a/DT soldier/NN and/CC a/DT statesman/NN ,/, to/TO deal/VB not/RB only/RB with/IN military/JJ officials/NNS but/CC the/DT leaders/NNS of/IN governments/NNS and/CC Russia/NNP ./. "/" 
"/" Clark/NNP fills/VBZ the/DT bill/NN ,/, "/" said/VBD the/DT official/NN ,/, adding/VBG that/IN Defense/NNP Secretary/NNP William/NNP Cohen/NNP had/VBD recommended/VBN the/DT general/JJ to/TO Clinton/NNP after/IN interviewing/VBG more/JJR than/IN a/DT dozen/NN potential/JJ candidates/NNS ./. 
The/DT job/NN of/IN SACEUR/NNP has/VBZ been/VBN held/VBN by/IN U.S./NNP military/JJ officers/NNS since/IN the/DT end/NN of/IN the/DT Second/NNP World/NNP War/NNP and/CC Clark/NNP ,/, a/DT West/NNP Point/NNP military/JJ academy/NN graduate/NN and/CC former/JJ Rhodes/NNP scholar/NN who/WP attended/VBD England/NNP 's/POS Oxford/NNP University/NNP ,/, is/VBZ expected/VBN to/TO be/VB approved/VBN by/IN the/DT allies/NNS ,/, according/VBG to/TO the/DT Pentagon/NNP official/NN ./. 
Joulwan/NNP will/MD retire/VB this/DT summer/NN and/CC Clinton/NNP 's/POS choice/NN of/IN Clark/NNP to/TO succeed/VB him/PRP leaves/VBZ the/DT President/NNP with/IN still/RB another/DT key/JJ military/JJ decision/NN ,/, that/IN of/IN replacing/VBG U.S./NNP Army/NNP Gen./NNP John/NNP Shalikashvili/NNP as/IN chairman/NN of/IN the/DT Pentagon/NNP Joint/NNP Chiefs/NNPS of/IN Staff/NNP when/WRB Shalikashvili/NNP retires/VBZ in/IN October/NNP ./. 
A/DT fast-rising/JJ star/NN in/IN the/DT U.S./NNP military/JJ ,/, Clark/NNP was/VBD the/DT senior/JJ military/JJ member/NN on/IN the/DT American/JJ team/NN led/VBN by/IN diplomat/NN Richard/NNP Holbrooke/NNP that/IN brokered/VBD the/DT Bosnia/NNP peace/NN accords/NNS in/IN Dayton/NNP ,/, Ohio/NNP ./. 
That/DT agreement/NN stopped/VBD the/DT fighting/NN in/IN Bosnia/NNP and/CC set/VBN terms/NNS for/IN the/DT NATO-led/JJ peacekeeping/JJ force/NN of/IN some/DT 31,000/CD which/WDT is/VBZ now/RB there/RB ./. 
That/DT force/NN includes/VBZ some/DT 8,000/CD American/JJ troops/NNS ./. 
"/" He/PRP clearly/RB knows/VBZ the/DT Bosnia/NNP situation/NN and/CC will/MD be/VB well-/RB placed/VBN to/TO emphasize/VB the/DT importance/NN of/IN getting/VBG the/DT country/NN back/RB on/IN a/DT firm/NN economic/JJ and/CC political/JJ track/NN by/IN mid-1998/JJ before/IN the/DT troops/NNS are/VBP scheduled/VBN to/TO pull/VB out/IN ,/, "/" said/VBD the/DT Pentagon/NNP official/NN ./. 
"/" The/DT next/JJ couple/NN of/IN years/NNS will/MD also/RB be/VB key/JJ to/TO dealing/VBG with/IN the/DT mechanics/NNS of/IN rebuilding/VBG Europe/NNP and/CC working/VBG on/IN the/DT NATO/NNP 's/POS military/JJ structure/NN ,/, "/" the/DT official/NN told/VBD Reuters/NNP ./. 
Clark/NNP would/MD be/VB the/DT third/JJ chief/NN of/IN the/DT U.S./NNP military/NN 's/POS Southern/NNP Command/NNP in/IN Panama/NNP to/TO move/VB to/TO the/DT Mons/NNS job/NN ./. 
Both/DT Joulwan/NNP and/CC retired/VBN Army/NNP Gen./NNP John/NNP Galvin/NNP ,/, served/VBN in/IN Panama/NNP ./. 
Clark/NNP ,/, who/WP will/MD also/RB command/VB some/DT 100,000/CD American/JJ troops/NNS in/IN Europe/NNP and/CC oversee/VB U.S./NNP military/JJ operations/NNS in/IN Europe/NNP and/CC North/NNP Africa/NNP ,/, already/RB wears/VBZ the/DT four-star/JJ rank/NN of/IN full/JJ general/NN ./. 
He/PRP previously/RB headed/VBD the/DT U.S./NNP Army/NNP 's/POS National/NNP Training/NNP Center/NNP at/IN Fort/NNP Leavenworth/NNP ,/, Kansas/NNP ,/, and/CC has/VBZ also/RB been/VBN director/NN of/IN strategy/NN on/IN the/DT Pentagon/NNP 's/POS military/JJ Joint/NNP Staff/NNP ./. 
Clark/NNP also/RB once/RB served/VBN as/IN a/DT senior/JJ military/JJ assistant/NN to/TO former/JJ NATO/NNP SACEUR/NNP Gen./NNP Alexander/NNP Haig/NNP in/IN Mons/NNS ./. 
NATO/NNP is/VBZ currently/RB embroiled/VBN in/IN a/DT rift/NN between/IN the/DT United/NNP States/NNPS and/CC France/NNP over/IN the/DT command/NN of/IN allied/VBN forces/NNS in/IN Southern/NNP Europe/NNP based/VBD in/IN Naples/NNP ./. 
Washington/NNP has/VBZ refused/VBN to/TO bow/VB to/TO demands/NNS by/IN Paris/NNP that/IN the/DT United/NNP States/NNPS turn/VBP over/IN that/DT post/NN ,/, which/WDT has/VBZ always/RB been/VBN held/VBN by/IN a/DT U.S./NNP officer/NN ,/, to/TO a/DT European/NN ./. 
The/DT two/CD countries/NNS have/VBP been/VBN involved/VBN in/IN intense/JJ negotiations/NNS over/IN the/DT job/NN ,/, which/WDT the/DT United/NNP States/NNPS says/VBZ should/MD be/VB held/VBN by/IN an/DT American/NNP because/IN the/DT preponderance/NN of/IN allied/VBN forces/NNS in/IN the/DT southern/JJ region/NN --/: including/VBG the/DT powerful/JJ U.S./NNP Sixth/NNP Fleet/NNP --/: are/VBP American/NNP ./.