United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the announcement that the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina will begin soon, pointing out that the process will open a new phase in relations between the two parties and help consolidate peace and stability in the region, the Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS) said early Monday.

In his regular quarterly report that was distributed to ambassadors of the UN Security Council member states last weekend, Ban Ki-moon offered the world organization's support in the negotiation process that will be carried out under EU supervision. He, however, noted that the parties involved will have serious challenges to face due to growing tension in the Kosovo north.

He called on the parties to launch the dialogue as soon as possible and thus use the advantage of the positive moment that has been created over the last few months, the report reads.

Ban Ki-moon also called on the UN SC members to offer their support so as to avoid any unilateral actions which might stir up more passion. He also warned that Kosovo officials and media are campaigning against the presence of UNMIK in the north of Kosovo, which puts UN staff in jeopardy.

As in all of his previous reports to the Security Council, the UN secretary-general warned about the very small number of Kosovo returnees, as according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, only 706 persons, of whom one third were Serbs, returned to their homes in Kosovo in the last three months.