A French envoy to Kosovo, Jacques Huntzinger, has said it is essential to make substantial progress in the next few weeks towards a political solution to the conflict in the province.

Mr Huntzinger was speaking after talks in Pristina with the main ethnic Albanian political leader, Ibrahim Rugova, and said the six-nation Contact Group on the former Yugoslavia would be taking steps to revive the peace process.

He said it was essential to get a political process going before the end of the winter, to prevent renewed fighting between Serbian forces and Kosovar separatists.