KOSOVO ALBANIANS READY TO TALK WITH YUGOSLAV AUTHORITIES

( Editorial: --> 0661 ) PRISTINA, March 18 (Hina) - Kosovo Albanians on Wednesday expressed their readiness for negotiations with the Yugoslav government. Following talks with US diplomat Robert Gelbard, the Kosovo Albanian leader Ibrahim Rugova confirmed the readiness of Kosovo Albanians for the urgent start of talks with representatives of the Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic so that the Kosovo crisis could be solved. Rugova advocated that talks between the two sides start as soon as possible under the condition that they are serious and well prepared. According to Rugova, the Albanian side will before the presidential and parliamentary elections announced for 22 March, elect a team which will represent Kosovo at the negotiations. He added that the United States had already been requested to help in the negotiations between Pristina and Belgrade. Rugova still believes that the Serbian government's offer of talks is not serious. He holds that such talks would only worsen the situation in Kosovo. In a letter recently published in the media, Slobodan Milosevic, President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, nominated the Serbian government to conduct talks with Kosovo. Special US envoy Robert Gelbard supported the readiness of Ibrahim Rugova and other Kosovo Albanian leaders for serious talks with Milosevic because it was the stance of the United States, which he said, would do everything to assist in the negotiations. While the talks between Rugova and Gelbard were in session, about 2,000 Serbs demonstrated in Pristina. They carried Serbian and Yugoslav flags and shouted "Kosovo is Serbia", "This is Serbia", and "Kosovo is ours". (hina) jn mrb/rm 182108 MET mar 98