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Palestinians and Israelis to draft negotiating guide

After a series of informal talks, the Israeli and Palestinian leaders took a first small step toward elusive peace talks, asking aides to draft a joint statement on the principles that will guide negotiations.

The declaration will not be as detailed as the Palestinians had hoped, but Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said on Wednesday that it is expected to address all the tough issues -- borders, Jewish settlements, Jerusalem and Palestinian refugees.

The statement, which the teams will begin working on next week, is to be the centerpiece of a US-hosted Mideast conference next month, which is intended to relaunch peace talks that collapsed in January 2001.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is to return to the region next week, meet with both sides and set a date for the conference, Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qureia said.

"She will see how things are going, and according to that, the date would be set," he said.

On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert welcomed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to his Jerusalem residence, their sixth meeting since the spring.

No refreshments were served because Abbas is observing the dawn-to-dusk fast of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Olmert, in turn, gave the Palestinian leader a brief tour of his sukka, a traditional hut erected during the weeklong Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

The two leaders spent an hour alone, and then brought in the senior aides who will draft the joint document. Olmert's aides said the atmosphere was relaxed.

Initially, the Palestinians had sought a detailed framework agreement that would spell out solutions for the main disputes and include timetables for implementation. However, Israel insisted on a more general statement of intent.

In their meetings, Abbas and Olmert have already talked in broad strokes about some of the difficult issues.

For example, both raised the idea of a land swap, in which Israel would keep some West Bank land to incorporate Jewish settlements and compensate the Palestinians with the same amount of Israeli territory. Olmert's aides have said the two talked about the principle only, not about specific land.

It's widely expected the two sides will pick up negotiations where they left off in 2001, the last round of peace talks held at the Egyptian resort of Taba. At the time, the Palestinian uprising and a harsh Israeli crackdown were already in full swing, but negotiators had made headway, especially on a border deal based on land swaps.

In other developments, an explosion went off early yesterday near a group of Hamas policemen patrolling in Gaza City, wounding three, including one critically, Hamas officials said.

Hamas blamed Fatah for the attack, and said it has rounded up several suspects.
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