WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is on a five-day trip overseas to increase pressure on Mali’s al-Qaida-linked rebels and help Balkan nations end long-simmering ethnic and political disagreements.
Clinton left for Algeria Sunday, moving up her departure by a day to beat the onslaught of an East Coast storm.
She is aiming to advance each of their NATO and European Union aspirations. Serbia doesn’t recognize Kosovo, and the two dispute borders and minority issues. Bosnia’s power is divided among ethnic lines.
Clinton also visits Croatia, a new NATO member and an EU state as of next year.
