Mid-East peace mission delay

Protests against Palestinian claims to Jerusalem

United States special envoy Dennis Ross has delayed his departure for the Middle East, on a mission to salvage something from President Bill Clinton's attempts to revive the peace process.

Washington now acknowledges that a deal is unlikely to be achieved before the end of Mr Clinton's presidency, but Mr Ross - now due in Israel on Wednesday - will strive to narrow the differences between the two sides.

The mood on the ground is not one of peace

But Palestinian sources told the BBC that they are looking to Mr Ross for a modification of a US peace blueprint - already outlined to both sides - or a new formula entirely.

A BBC correspondent in Jerusalem, Paul Wood, says the focus has switched to persuading both sides to sign a statement that locks in the hard-won gains so far.

Mr Clinton's proposals, though accepted by both sides in principle, have drawn strong opposition.

The difficulties facing Mr Ross were highlighted by further clashes in the West Bank between Palestinians and Israeli security forces on Tuesday.

A Palestinian man is reported to have been shot and killed during a protest near the town of Nablus.

And n Monday tens of thousands of Israelis took part in a protest in Jerusalem to show their opposition to US proposals to divide sovereignty over the city between Israelis and Palestinians.

When he arrives in Israel on Wednesday afternoon, Mr Ross is expected to see the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak first, and then to have a late-night meeting with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat - although all the details of his schedule have still to be confirmed.

US sources say that this could be the last visit that Mr Ross makes to the region as his term in office expires with that of President Clinton on 20 January. This visit is therefore expected to span several days.

Security co-operation

Israeli and Palestinian security officials are scheduled to meet in the next few days to try to bring calm to the Palestinian territories, after a failed attempt in Cairo on Monday.

The talks - which focused on a possible resumption of security co-ordination on the ground - were chaired by the director of the US Central Intelligence Agency, George Tenet.

We are going to keep working on it for as long as we are in office

US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright

But recent field-level meetings have failed to stop the three-month violence in which more than 350 people have died.

The Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami says both have sides accepted a security plan drawn up by the CIA chief, but the Palestinians have not confirmed this.

Mr Ross, who is scheduled to arrive in the region later on Tuesday, is expected to remain in the region for seven or eight days.

Speculation in Jerusalem is now of an agreed presidential statement, a statement of principles by the two sides or even a broad resolution to be put before the UN Security Council.

Our correspondent says that if Mr Clinton were to force the pace now, he would risk passing on to his successor a peace process in the state of collapse.

Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Barak, on Monday said he thought it unlikely a full agreement could now be reached before Mr Clinton goes, but he warned again squandering any opportunity to conclude a peace deal.

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