Saturday, November 28, 1998 Published at 23:03 GMT

World: Europe

KLA offers to delay

independence

KLA forces - ready for a change of position

The political representative of the

ethnic Albanian separatist group,

the Kosovo Liberation Army, has

said it is ready to accept a

transitional status for the province

short of independence.

Adem Demaci said it would accept a deal that kept

the province inside Yugoslavia, as the group

realised its ultimate goal of independence for

Kosovo could only be reached gradually.

The BBC's Jackie Rowland in Belgrade says Mr

Demaci's statement indicates that the rebels could

be moving towards accepting United States

proposals on self-rule for Kosovo.

"It would be acceptable for us to

have such a transitional period

as a third Yugoslav republic, and

with the Kosovo Albanians

having the right to determine

their own future within three

years," he said on the independent Serbian radio

station, B-92, monitored by the BBC.

He said the KLA would agree to

Kosovo temporarily becoming a

third Yugoslav federal republic,

alongside Serbia and Montenegro

if such a deal were guaranteed by

the international community and

followed within three years by a referendum on

independence.

Ethnic Albanian commentators in Kosovo say this

is the first time Mr Demaci has publicly expressed

support for the idea of the territory becoming a

Yugoslav republic.

No speed up

He added that he did not think the KLA's change in

position would speed up peace talks with Serbia,

which has already criticised similar proposals from

American diplomats.

Belgrade was "trying to

force something down our

throat that not even a dog

with a greased gullet

would touch," he said.

Mr Demaci said the ethnic

Albanians were still

rejecting the latest version

of US envoy Christopher

Hill's peace plan because

it gave Kosovo

considerable autonomy

but did not include a

referendum on

independence.

Clashes that began in February following a Serb

crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists in

Kosovo have claimed hundreds of lives and forced

more than 300,000 people from their homes.

Since the cease-fire in October, the guerrillas have

been returning to some areas from which they had

been driven by Serb forces.