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Israel, Palestinians to Resume Talks
A senior Palestinian official said on Saturday Israelis and Palestinians would resume formal peace talks at the end of August in an effort to forge a final deal by mid-September.
"Formal intensive negotiations are expected to open at the end of this month, at the level of negotiators and not the leaders. At this point the venue is still not known," the official, who is close to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, told Reuters.
Negotiations between Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak ended inconclusively last month at Camp David near Washington after they failed to agree on the status of Jerusalem.
Israel captured East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war an annexed it in a move not recognised internationally. It regards all of Jerusalem as its "united and eternal capital".
Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state they have said they will declare this year with or without a peace deal with Israel.
The Palestinian official, who asked not to be named, said talks would receive an added impetus when U.S. Middle East trouble-shooter Dennis Ross arrived in the region next week.
"We expect talks to pick up after Dennis Ross arrives in the region on August 20," the official said.
Israel and the Palestinians are striving to clinch a deal by September 13 that will settle remaining outstanding issues, including the fate of Palestinian refugees and Jerusalem.
Officials from both sides have been trying to drum up support for their respective stands in the peace process by meeting world leaders.
Arafat is due to leave Gaza on Sunday for China, Malaysia and Japan. The length of his trip is not yet known.
Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami, visiting Spain to promote Israel's negotiating position, said on Saturday it was possible that there might be a second peace summit before September 13.
Palestinians have denied that talks are underway to convene such a meeting.
"There are no plans to hold a summit. Since Camp David no negotiations took place. There were only informal contacts to find ways to resume the talks," Arafat's senior adviser Nabil Abu Rdainah said.
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