Albanians Form Kosovo Talks Team

The leading ethnic Albanian politician unveiled a new team to negotiate the future of Kosovo with the Serbian-led government, but failed to win the backing of rebels fighting for independence for the province. U.S. envoy Christopher Hill, who for weeks has been struggling to persuade ethnic Albanian rebels and politicians to join forces, said the violence in Kosovo made it imperative to start talks immediately. Representatives of Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will meet today with the team to hammer out a platform for what Hill said he hopes are imminent talks with Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.