By DUSAN STOJANOVIC Associated Press Writer

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (AP) -- A top ethnic Albanian negotiator in Kosovo

suggested for the first time today that his side might settle for less than independence

for the Serb-ruled province.

But the comments by Fehmi Agani, the head of the Albanian negotiating team, do

not necessarily mean all Kosovo Albanian factions are ready to compromise and

accept some form of autonomy.

Ethnic Albanian guerrillas, who met the top U.S. envoy for Kosovo today, have not

indicated they would accept anything less than the independence they have been

fighting for.

Agani told The Associated Press his side had proposed giving the province the same

status as Yugoslavia's two republics -- Serbia and Montenegro.

``A period of three to five years would be enough to see whether such a union could

function,'' said Agani, who normally expresses views of moderate Kosovo Albanian

leader Ibrahim Rugova. ``If it could, we would want to stay in it. If not I don't see

why we would stay.''

Agani's comments were the first time an ethnic Albanian leader has openly accepted

the idea of autonomy, though even he indicated peaceful coexistence probably wasn't

possible.

Agani confirmed today that his delegation would not attend direct talks called for by

Serbian President Milan Milutinovic.

The ethnic Albanians refuse to talk without U.S. and European mediation, saying

only foreign countries could guarantee that an eventual agreement would be

implemented by the Serbian government.

The Serbian government says the troubles in Kosovo, where hundreds of people

have died and tens of thousands were left homeless in its crackdown against

secessionists, are Serbia's internal matter and should not involve foreign mediators.

U.S. envoy Christopher Hill, who has been shuttling between Belgrade and Pristina

in an effort to find a compromise peace plan, met representatives of the ethnic

Albanians' rebel Kosovo Liberation Army today.

The meeting in the village of Dragobilje, 31 miles southwest of Pristina, was Hill's

second with KLA representatives since Nov. 6.

Adem Demaci, a guerrilla spokesman, praised Hill's decision to include the KLA.

``Rugova can sign anything, but there could be no deal without KLA consent,''

Demaci said.

AP-NY-11-17-98 1144EST