Holbrooke

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (CNN) -- U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke began a decisive round of Kosovo talks with Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic on Wednesday as the West piled pressure on Belgrade to expect NATO airstrikes if mediation fails.

"Right now, we are in the countdown to a decisive moment in the history of the Balkans," Holbrooke said before his third meeting with the Yugoslav president.

Milosevic has remained defiant so far, despite Washington's efforts to make it clear that NATO is not bluffing about military intervention should Belgrade fail to withdraw troops from Kosovo and begin serious negotiations on the status of the province.

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Reflecting a grim mood in the U.S. delegation, Holbrooke had only terse public comments Wednesday. "The situation's extremely serious," he said.

On Tuesday, the U.N. Security Council declared that the Serbian combatants in Kosovo had not yet fully complied with U.N. resolutions demanding a cease-fire and withdrawal of special Serb police units.

While the U.N. resolutions passed thus far carry no legal weight, NATO officials say they are prepared to launch airstrikes swiftly once a final decision is made.

Observers say such a decision may be possible by the weekend, after the six-nation Contact Group on the Balkans convenes in London later this week.

Russian President Boris Yeltsin, who opposes NATO strikes against Yugoslavia, said Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov would attend the meeting.

Holbrooke said he planned to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on Thursday in Brussels, where Albright also was to consult with NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana.

U.S. State Department spokesman James Rubin told reporters there was no consensus yet among NATO countries on launching military strikes.

Statements made Wednesday by key figures and world leaders on the Kosovo crisis:

• British Prime Minister Tony Blair: "We have to make sure he (Milosevic) is withdrawing from a position where he is able to commit these atrocities, these acts of barbarism in Kosovo, and he should know very clearly that if he doesn't then serious action will follow."

• The notorious Serbian warlord known as Arkan, as reported by Belgrade media: "We shall not kneel before NATO missiles. We shall not allow ourselves to become enslaved to NATO or any other foreign power."

A F/A-18 Hornet aircraft takes off during military exercises in the Mediterranean Sea

• Fernando del Mundo, spokesman for the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees in Pristina, commenting on the tens of thousands of Kosovo refugees hiding in the woods: "Villagers (in Kosovo) are telling us that if the (Serbian) police withdraw, they will return home."

• Hans van den Broek, European Union foreign affairs chief on Moscow's opposition to NATO strikes: "I have understanding for Russia's misgivings about using military force. But this can never be an excuse for allowing a humanitarian disaster to happen."

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

"Kosovo: A Short History" by Noel Malcolm "Between Serb and Albanian: A History of Kosovo" by Miranda Vickers "Hearts Grown Brutal: Sagas of Sarajevo" by Roger Cohen "A Short History of the Yugoslav Peoples" by Frederick Bernard Singleton "Unwinnable Wars: American Power and Ethnic Conflict" by David Callahan Click here for additional reading on Yugoslavia