Since the dismissal of Paula Jones' sexual harassment lawsuit last April, President Clinton has experienced a respite from the waves of media speculation about sex in the White House.

But although the story has been off the front pages, the independent prosecutor Kenneth Starr has been steadily pursuing his investigation into the allegations that President Clinton had an affair with Monica Lewinsky when she worked at the White House and then persuaded her to lie about it.

Earlier this month Miss Lewinsky's family - reportedly fed up with the contradictory public statements being made by her attorney William Ginsburg - hired a new legal team to represent her.

According to the Washington Post, both Miss Lewinsky's new lawyers and Mr Starr are optimistic that they can make a deal over the next few weeks that could result in Monica Lewinsky testifying that she had sex with the president.

The Post says Mr Clinton's lawyers have been preparing to counter her testimony by hiring a private detective agency to dig up information about her past.

If Miss Lewinsky does testify, she is likely to be questioned about the account of her relationship with the president she gave in 20 hours of telephone conversations secretly recorded by her former friend Linda Tripp.

In its latest issue, the magazine US News and World Report says it has access to two hours of the tapes.