Renewed hope for Mideast meetings

TABA - Israeli-Palestinian peace talks were set to resume overnight after a two-day suspension, rekind-ling fresh hopes for a last-minute breakthrough before Israeli elections on February 6.

The negotiations were due to start again after the funerals of two Israeli civilians who were murdered in the West Bank on Wednesday, prompting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak to suspend the talks for consultations with his peace team.

Mr Barak's office said in a statement after an inner cabinet meeting late on Wednesday that he "decided to resume the talks with the Palestinians ... after the funerals of Moti Dayan and Etgar Zeituni."

A senior Palestinian negotiator welcomed the planned resumption of meetings and expressed hope that the talks, which had seemed to gather momentum before the sudden halt, could continue where they had left off.

"We have the ability to move on," Saeb Erekat said. "So far we haven't seen any new positions from Israel in all the issues and I hope the engagement will be a serious one."

Earlier, the new Administration of President George W. Bush, four days into its term, ventured for the first time into the rocky waters of Middle East diplomacy, pressing the parties to return to the negotiating table.

The two sides are engaged in a last-ditch effort to clinch an outline for a peace deal before the prime ministerial election, which polls show could bring hawkish opposition leader Ariel Sharon to power.

Israel halted the negotiations, held at the Egyptian Red Sea resort town of Taba, on Wednesday, following the killings in the West Bank town of Tulkarm of the two Israelis who were kidnapped and shot dead by masked Palestinians.

"The deliberations will continue for another several days and will be stopped in light of the approaching elections with the objective of renewing them after the elections," Mr Barak's office said.

An Israeli political source estimated the talks would end a week before the Israeli poll. Another Israeli source said Mr Barak told cabinet ministers that "chances were slim" for reaching an agreement by then.

The US, long an influential broker between the sides, has no representative at the Taba talks, but its ambassadors in the Middle East have been in contact with the sides.

Mr Barak called US Secretary of State Colin Powell twice this week to brief him on the talks. Mr Powell also spoke to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat on Wednesday for the first time since taking office.

- REUTERS

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