The president of Macedonia, Kiro Gligorov, has said there should be no break-up of the Yugoslav federation, currently comprising Serbia and Montenegro, and he again discounted proposals for an indpendent Kosovo.

In an interview with the French news agency Mr Gligorov said the emergence of new independent states in the Balkans would further complicate the overall situation by placing in doubt the principle that borders should not be changed by force -- a principle upheld in Bosnia by the international community, which, he said, should now do the same in relation to Kosovo. Mr Gligorov welcomed next week's summit in Sarajevo on the Balkans because he said the region must act quickly over its problems.