Mid-East deal 'unlikely'

Israeli soldiers have been protecting settlers

The Clinton administration has acknowledged that it is highly unlikely that there will be a comprehensive deal in Middle East peace talks before the president leaves office in two weeks' time.

The admission came in comments by Secretary of State Madeleine Albright as she paid tribute to President Bill Clinton's "crucial role" in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

But, in a speech in New York, Mr Clinton vowed to use the time to try to narrow the differences between the Israelis and the Palestinians and build the foundations of a peace agreement.

There is no choice but for you to divide this land into two states for two people

President Clinton

Mr Clinton is sending special envoy Dennis Ross back to the region this week to try to halt the violence that has killed more than 350 people, and to discuss peace proposals.

Underlining the difficulties mediators face bringing the two sides together, a senior Palestinian officials, parliamentary speaker Ahmad Qurai, broke ranks by declaring President Clinton's ideas for future negations unacceptable.

Officially the leadership's position as outlined in Washington by Yasser Arafat is that it is prepared to accept the Clinton parameters but with significant reservations.

'Sacrifice'

Israel on Monday repeated that it accepts the peace plan as a basis for negotiations.

Palestinian officials say a second Palestinian man was shot dead overnight by Israeli soldiers as he was walking along a road near a Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip.

Earlier, a young Palestinian woman was also shot and killed.

In an indication over the depth of Israeli feeling over core issues, Israelis have planned a mass rally on Monday to demand that Jerusalem remain under Israeli control.

Mr Clinton's blueprint for peace, includes giving the Palestinians control of Arab areas of Jerusalem as well as Gaza and most of the West Bank.

Thousands of Israeli police and soldiers are expected to deploy near near the Old City, where rally organisers say they hope hundreds of thousands of people will gather to encircle the city walls.

Outlining his proposals, which were handed to the Israelis and Palestinians two weeks ago, Mr Clinton said the plans lwould entail real pain and sacrifices for both sides.

President Clinton said his proposal is a fair one

It would, for example, deny the right of all Palestinian refugees to return to Israel.

Mr Clinton did say the Palestinians should be entitled to compensation and the US would lead the way in raising funds for this purpose.

The BBC's correspondent in Jerusalem, Paul Wood, said on the biggest issues - such as refugees and the future of East Jerusalem - the two sides are as far apart as ever.

Security talks

Mr Clinton said there was no choice but for the two sides to divide the land into two states for two peoples.

Stressing that he believed his proposals were fair, he said the US was working with Egypt, the Israelis and the Palestinians in an effort to rein in the violence.

The head of the US Central Intelligence Agency, George Tenet, is also in the region in an attempt to get Israeli and Palestinian security forces co-operating again.

He has been meeting senior Israeli and Palestinian security officials in Cairo but reports from the Egyptian capital say the talks ended in failure.

The Israelis have returned to their long-standing position of saying that talks can only take place once the violence associated with the Palestinian intifada or 'uprising' has ceased.