1 M(Q) CORRECTIONS TO FORM-FACTORS AND EXTRACTION OF VERTICAL-BAR-V-CB-VERTICAL-BAR/

Form factors for 0(-) --> 0(-) and 0(-) --> 1(-) mesonic transitions i n the heavy quark limit and the 1/m(Q) corrections are analyzed model independently within the Bethe-Salpeter (BS) formalism. The analysis s hows that the BS formalism has spin-flavor symmetry in the heavy quark limit and respects Luke's theorem when the 1/m(Q) corrections are tak en into account. All form factors for B-->D() transitions beyond the zero recoil point are estimated in a relativistic constituent quark mo del based on the BS formalism. Using these form factors we calculate t he branching ratios for the semileptonic decays B --> D()l(+)v(l) and extract the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element \V-cb\. We get \ V-cb\ = 0.042 +/- 0.003 which is consistent with the current world ave rage.