Using a form factor approach, we define and compute the character of the
fusion product of rectangular representations of \hat{su}(r+1). This character
decomposes into a sum of characters of irreducible representations, but with
q-dependent coefficients. We identify these coefficients as (generalized)
Kostka polynomials. Using this result, we obtain a formula for the characters
of arbitrary integrable highest-weight representations of \hat{su}(r+1) in
terms of the fermionic characters of the rectangular highest weight
representations.