Yugoslav President Rebuffs U.S. Envoy

Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, hanging tough over Kosovo, refused to see a top American envoy on Friday and rejected a European offer to help end the crisis in the independence-minded province.

In Kosovo itself, some 5,000 ethnic Albanians buried two men, cousins aged 19 and 21, who were killed this week when Serb police and ethnic Albanians fought an 11-hour gun battle in villages close to the border with Albania.

Milosevic declined to see U.S. envoy Robert Gelbard, who warned senior Milosevic aides Thursday that time was running out on chances to avert foreign sanctions - or a war in Kosovo.

More than 80 ethnic Albanians have died in police crackdowns on alleged armed separatists this month, fanning fears of wider bloodshed and spurring foreign powers to try and solve the crisis.