Israel and the Palestinians will hold talks in Washington after the July 4 US Independence Day on whether to hold a Middle East summit, a senior Palestinian official said on Wednesday in Ramallah.
"The talks will resume in Washington after the July 4 celebrations and if the sides reach a basis for a summit, a summit will be held," the official said after US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright met Palestinian President Yasser Arafat in the West Bank town of Ramallah.
Albright is in the region to assess whether the time is right for a summit which the United States hopes will pave the way to an Israeli-Palestinian peace treaty by a September 13 target date.
She said after talks with Israeli leaders and Arafat on Wednesday that it would ultimately be up to US President Bill Clinton to determine whether a summit should be held.
Israel and the Palestinians will hold talks in Washington after the July 4 US Independence Day on whether to hold a Middle East summit, a senior Palestinian official said on Wednesday in Ramallah.