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WASHINGTON -- A former commander of U.S. forces in southeast Kosovo said Wednesday that Kosovo Liberation Army leaders are firmly committed to independence. But he would not rule out their eventual acceptance of the province remaining an autonomous region of Yugoslavia.
Brig. Gen. John Craddock, whose tour of duty in Kosovo ended recently, told reporters that KLA leaders he dealt with continually talked about independence while he made the case for autonomy, the outcome favored by the Clinton administration.
'We agreed to disagree," Craddock said, adding that it will be a "bitter pill" for the KLA to surrender its goal of an independent Kosovo.
"Maybe over time there will be some changing of those perspectives," Craddock said.
"Is it possible that they will change? Yes, sure it is. But at this point I think it would be premature to say they would be willing to sign up for anything less."