Don't waste peace chance - Barak

The Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Barak, has warned against squandering the opportunity to conclude a peace deal in the final days of the Clinton presidency.

Mr Barak said although it was likely the talks would result in something short of an agreement, he said it could be a long time before a similar opportunity arose.

His comments came as President Clinton's Middle East envoy prepares to travel back to the region later today.

The difficulties facing the peace process were demonstrated on Monday when tens of thousands of Israelis took part in a protest in Jerusalem to show their opposition to American proposals to divide sovereignty over the city between Israel and the Palestinians. But the Palestinian leadership paid tribute to Mr Clinton for what it said was his clear emphasis on the Palestinian people's right to establish an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service