Yugoslav, French Presidents in Kosovo talks

The Yugoslav President, Vojislav Kostunica, has ended his one day visit to France where he held talks with President Chirac and other senior officials.

Few details have emerged but a BBC correspondent said that President Kostunica had wanted to discuss security concerns in southern Serbia, where ethnic-Albanian guerrillas have taken control of a number of villages within a demilitarised zone.

The NATO-led peacekeeping force in Kosovo has now said Yugoslav troops might be allowed to police the zone.

Security concerns feature strongly in Serbian parliamentary elections being held on Saturday, with demands for immediate Yugoslav army intervention against the guerrillas. President Kostunica's supporters are predicted to take control in Serbia from the Socialists of the former president, Slobodan Milosevic.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service