Palestinians, Israelis gearing up for talks

Negotiators are drafting documents to try to end the more than three years of bitter fighting, including lists of commitments and measures for both sides, the sources said.

The main framework for the renewed peace efforts is the internationally-backed "roadmap" for peace, which was officially endorsed in June but has become a dead letter amid fresh cycles of violence.

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However, a planned meeting between Qorei and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was "unlikely" to take place before December 1, the sources also said.

"The Palestinian prime minister's entourage wishes to assess the repercussions of the official signing on December 1 of the Geneva Initiative," one Palestinian official said.

He was referring to an unofficial peace plan drafted by Israeli left-wingers and Palestinian personalities which Sharon has squarely rejected. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has cautiously supported the initiative.

"There is no reason to hurry before we find out whether or not the Geneva Initiative stirs some kind of tension within the Israeli government," the official added on condition of anonymity.

Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom had said Tuesday that the two premiers would meet within the week.

Israeli public radio reported Saturday that Sharon had held a secret meeting during his visit to Rome this week with an envoy of US President George W. Bush, who was visiting London at the same time.