Clinton Reassures Latins on Ties to Region : Transition: His phone call to Rio Group meeting symbolizes degree to which foreign affairs have added to the burdens of forging a new government.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — As aides warned that it would be at least a week before the new Administration begins to take shape, President-elect Bill Clinton spoke Tuesday to Latin American leaders and reassured them of his desire to strengthen economic ties with the region.

The telephone conversation between Clinton and members of the Rio Group of Latin American leaders meeting in Buenos Aires symbolized the degree to which the demands of foreign affairs have added to the burdens of forging a new government.

Before Thanksgiving, Clinton had said that he intended to reveal his first Cabinet nominations “very soon.” But top advisers said Tuesday that no such announcements would be made until next week, after he returns from a two-day trip to Washington.

The aides insisted that such a timetable does not represent a significant delay beyond initial expectations. And, as Clinton labored over the Cabinet nominations, his inaugural committee was preparing to announce that he would arrive in Washington by bus for the Jan. 20 inauguration on a route beginning at Monticello, the Virginia home built by Thomas Jefferson.

But it was clear the attention of the Clinton camp has been increasingly consumed by matters beyond pressing personnel appointments. Besides talking Tuesday with the 12 Latin American leaders, Clinton in recent days has issued a statement of support for beleaguered Russian President Boris N. Yeltsin and commented on a proposal to dispatch U.S. troops to Somalia.

At a briefing Tuesday, spokesman George Stephanopoulos told reporters that such demands had not kept Clinton from giving top priority to economic issues and to the task of selecting his new Cabinet team.

But he said that Clinton’s impending accession to the presidency means that “you have to pay attention to the problems that you’re faced with around the world.” He said that Clinton expects “to have to react to those problems and take the initiative when necessary.”

Clinton spoke to the Latin American leaders at the invitation of Argentine President Carlos Saul Menem, current chairman of the Rio Group. Although no text of his remarks was made public, a written summary provided by the transition team made clear that he had been careful to reassure the Latin leaders that his planned emphasis on revitalizing the U.S. economy would not come at the expense of America’s neighbors.

“I campaigned for the presidency of the U.S. because I believe we cannot be strong abroad until we rebuild our economy,” the summary quoted Clinton as saying. “But it is also one of America’s most important and fundamental interests to ensure that our friends and neighbors in this region are economically prosperous and politically stable.”

Clinton had said little about his views on trade within the region during his presidential campaign, and that silence prompted uneasiness across much of Latin America. But the President-elect was said during the 15-minute call Tuesday to have reaffirmed support for the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and for building similar agreements with other nations in the hemisphere.

The Rio Group meets several times each year. Its members are Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela, and a delegate each from Central America and the Caribbean.

Clinton had said shortly after being elected that he would defer to President Bush on foreign affairs during the transition period. While reiterating that pledge Tuesday, his spokesman said that Clinton regarded U.S.-Latin American affairs as sufficiently important to justify a higher profile.