Montenegro has issued a new challenge to Belgrade, saying it wants to
abolish the Yugoslav federation and replace it with a loose partnership with Serbia. Meanwhile, Kosovo's main ethnic Albanian rivals have held talks in what is being seen as a key step toward self-government for the province. Hashim Thaci, the Kosovo Liberation Army's political leader, and pacificist leader Ibrahim Rugova, met yesterday in Kosovo. It was their first face-to-face meeting since Yugoslav forces withdrew from Kosovo in June.