Talks on the crisis in Kosovo are taking place on Friday between President Milosovic of Yugoslavia and the leader of the province's Albanian speaking majority, Ibrahim Rugova.

The meeting, the first between the two men, marks the beginning of a process which it is hoped will lead to full-scale negotiations on the conflict, in which more than 150 people have been killed this year.

A spokesman for Mr Rugova, Veton Surroi said the talks carried a lot of symbolic weight, but were only a start.

Who will bend?

The BBC correspondent in Belgrade says the task of working out a solution to the ongoing crisis will not be an easy task.

Talks are the only hope of halting destruction in Kosovo quickly

The Kosovo Albanians want independence from Serbia but President Milosevic has always ruled out that option. The most he is likely to agree to is some form of autonomy for the Serbian province.

Mr Rugova's decision to finally meet the Yugoslav leader came after pressure from the US envoy, Richard Holbrooke, and it has created deep divisions among the ethnic Albanians.

Some believe he has betrayed his people because he is talking to Slobodan Milosevic without setting any preconditions - two members of the negotiating team advising Mr Rugova resigned on Thursday, objecting to his move to travel to Belgrade.

And Mr Rugova also does not have the support of the guerrilla movement, the Kosovo Liberation Army, which is gaining popularity and strength in the province. It is continuing to fight the Yugoslav forces and take control of key parts of Kosovo.

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