Kosovo Albanians appeal to NATO for intervention to halt ethnic bloodshed

ROME (CNN) -- U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen and his Italian counterpart said Wednesday that NATO would explore military options to aid the troubled Serbian province of Kosovo but made clear a political solution was preferred.

The statement came as thousands of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo's capital, Pristina, protested the Serbian crackdown in the province. About 300 people have been killed there since February, when Serbian security forces began a crackdown on alleged members or supporters of a Kosovo separatist movement.

While the protesters called for NATO intervention, Cohen, said it was premature to speculate whether the Western military alliance would consider air strikes to stop a Serbian offensive in the province.

Flanked by Italian Defense Minister Beniamino Andreatta after their talks, Cohen said they agreed that "a political solution is the best outcome."

Thousands of ethnic Albanians demonstrate in Pristina Wednesday

"It is important ... to end this scandal of the bombing and shelling of innocent people. We will work to achieve it at every level -- diplomatic, economic and hopefully not military, but we're not ruling it out either," Cohen said.

The Italian defense chief denounced the Serbian use of heavy weapons against civilians and alleged supporters of Kosovo separatist guerrillas. Andreatta declared: "This scandal must end. We must try to find a political solution."

"It's also important that the people of Kosovo understand that whatever action is taken will not be seen as an endorsement for the move towards independence. The United States supports greater autonomy but not independence (for Kosovo)," Cohen said.

NATO sources told CNN that a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels on Thursday would likely hear calls for accelerated military planning for a Kosovo intervention (including air strikes) and a pledge of immediate help for Albania and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.