The outgoing British Ambassador to Kosovo Andy Sparkes has stated that the talks between Pristina and Belgrade will be conducted in two phases, and that, among other things, they will touch upon the so-called six-point plan of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Several issues should be solved: the functioning of Kosovo's police, the application of laws, and the operation of courts in the north of Kosovo, Sparkes said in an interview to the Pristina daily Koha Ditore

According to Sparkes, in the first phase the talks should focus on the topics which do not touch upon the red lines of either Kosovo or Serbia, while the tougher topics such as border control, the courts in the north and the interpretation of status, should be left for the second phase.

The six-point plan, upon which the official Belgrade insists, determines the status of Serbs in the parts of Kosovo in which they constitute majority, and pertains to the issues of police, judiciary system, border tax collection, traffic, infrastructure and protection of cultural heritage. Kosovo's Prime Minister (Hasim) Taci can set for himself the borders he will not cross and say that he will not discuss internal issues, but it is in common interest that the courts in the north be functional so the citizens could have access to the judiciary system, Sparkes stressed.

In October, Sparkes will take over the position of the deputy head of EULEX.