NEWS ANALYSIS : Bush Call to Clinton Reveals New Closeness : Policy: Discussion of the Somalia mission indicates greater levels of collaboration between the former opponents.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. —  A telephone call Wednesday from President Bush to President-elect Bill Clinton about deploying U.S. troops to Somalia reflected a sudden closeness in consultations between two onetime opponents who now share a stake in the future of the operation.

While both sides insist publicly that the White House is simply informing its successor of its intentions, aides to Bush and Clinton acknowledge privately that the behind-the-scenes foreign policy discussions have begun in recent days to show greater levels of collaboration.

In a 15-minute conversation Wednesday afternoon, Bush was said by Clinton aides to have talked with the President-elect about the “general direction” of the Somalia operation and to have advised him about options still being weighed by the White House.

In turn, Clinton was said to have queried Bush about command-and-control arrangements for the force, which still must win United Nations authorization. Aides said Clinton voiced no objections to the mission.

Officials from each camp said the conversation added to what has become over the last week an increasingly candid exchange of views on how the United States should respond to Somalia’s war- and famine-induced crisis.

With Bush presumably sensitive about launching a military venture that Clinton might oppose, National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft began more than a week ago to provide his counterpart on the Clinton team with daily briefings.

The personal update provided to Clinton by Bush on Wednesday came after the President-elect and his camp said they would not object to proposed U.S. military intervention, and, indeed, regarded it as a laudable response.

Emphasizing that position Wednesday, even before the call from Bush, Clinton’s chief spokesman told reporters that the President-elect was “look(ing) forward to supporting” the operation.

The cooperation appears likely to simplify the transfer of power from the Bush Administration to Clinton next month.

That transfer will include authority over a Somalia mission that may endure--in some form--well into the new Administration’s tenure.

The early show of foreign policy unity is not guaranteed to leave the new Administration untroubled.

While Republicans and most Democrats have expressed support for the operation, the powerful chairman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee challenged the mission Wednesday, saying it would be too costly and unwise.

Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) cast his comments as criticism of the current Administration, while warning of an impending mess for Clinton.

Sources said Murtha first raised his objections earlier this week with one of Clinton’s top aides and chose to make his dissent public only after learning that Clinton was likely to support the White House actions.