The Albanian foreign minister, Pascal Milo, has urged the Balkan countries to break what he called their silence over Kosovo.

Speaking at a meeting of Balkan foreign ministers in Istanbul, Mr Milo said ethnic Albanians in Kosovo were threatened by a massacre similar to that in Bosnia.

He said Balkan countries should work to bring about a genuine political dialogue.

Yugoslav actions in Kosovo have been widely criticised at the meeting -- including by Belgrade's traditional regional ally, Greece.

The Greek foreign minister, Theodoros Pangalos, rejected the argument of his Yugoslav counterpart that Kosovo was an internal matter.

Human rights, he said, concerned all people.

REASON: Correcting name and nationality of foreign minister

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service