Deadline for Israel border talks

JERUSALEM - Israel will try diplomacy with the Palestinians until the end of the year before turning to a plan to set a border unilaterally in the occupied West Bank, a senior Cabinet minister said last night.

Justice Minister Haim Ramon outlined Israel's limited timeframe for talks after US President George W. Bush attempted to steer Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert away from setting the border unilaterally.

"We will devote this year sincerely, with a real and strong desire, to see if we can conduct negotiations with the chairman of the Palestinian Authority [President Mahmoud Abbas]."

Olmert would "make this effort and try to see whether the 'road map' can be carried out," Ramon said, referring to a US-backed plan that charts a path to Palestinian statehood.

Israel would not hold formal peace talks with the Palestinians unless Hamas militants now running the Government met US conditions to disavow violence, recognise Israel and abide by interim peace deals.

"We will not wait for years, and through the end of this year there will be diplomacy." Ramon said.

"If it turns out we don't have a partner, we will move to the realignment plan," he added, referring to Olmert's plan to remove isolated settlements, expand larger settlement blocs and draw a unilateral border in the absence of peace talks.

Palestinians object to the plan, calling it a land grab that would deprive them of a viable state.

- REUTERS