The American mediator, Christopher Hill, has said talks on the future of Kosovo are entering a critical stage.

Speaking after a meeting with leaders of theprovince's ethnic Albanian majority in Pristina, Mr Hill said it was now time to move ahead, and warned both parties -- Serbia and the Kosovo Albanians -- that the crisis can only be solved through negotiations.

But correspondents say sporadic fighting is still going on in the province, and NATO has warned that the incidents are threatening the ceasefire agreed last month.