Mid-East diplomacy stepped up

Javier Solana: Mr Sharon has expressed interest

The European Union's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, has arrived in the Saudi city of Jeddah to discuss a Middle East peace plan proposed by Crown Prince Abdullah.

It's really up to Israel, the Palestinians, Lebanon and Syria to negotiate because it's their land

Adviser to Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah

The search for ways to calm Israeli-Palestinian violence is also being debated by the United Nations in a sign of growing international concern about the situation in the Middle East.

There has been some support for the Saudi plan, which would see Israel withdraw from the occupied territories in return for a recognition of its statehood by Arab nations.

"It is fair to say that [Israeli Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon expressed interest in having more information on the content of the idea," Mr Solana said.

	Crown Prince Abdullah's peace proposal: Israel should withdraw to pre-1967 borders and sign a peace deal with the Palestinians In return, Arab states offer Israel full diplomatic relations, including security guarantees and trade relations Initiative cautiously welcomed by Israel and the US See also:  More detail on plan  History in maps

He cut short his visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories so as to discuss the plan in Saudi Arabia.

But an adviser to Crown Prince Abdullah cautioned that the proposal was a vision and not a blueprint for borders.

"We are not in the real estate or zoning business," Adel al-Jubeir told the Associated Press news agency. "It's really up to Israel, the Palestinians, Lebanon and Syria to negotiate because it's their land.

Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, speaking during a visit to Paris, welcomed the initiative.

"This plan foresees more flexibility over Jerusalem and other subjects," Mr Peres told French state television.

More bloodshed

But the violence has continued, with a Palestinian man shooting dead an Israeli man early on Wednesday morning in an industrial area near Jerusalem.

It happened hours after a 25-year-old Palestinian man was killed in an exchange of fire with Israeli troops at the Balata refugee camp near the West Bank city of Nablus.

Yasser Arafat has been kept at his headquarters

Israeli and Palestinian security officials continued security talks in Tel Aviv on Wednesday.

The talks resumed on Tuesday, with officials from both sides meeting for six hours in the presence of US officials.

The Palestinians had suspended the security meetings after Israel refused to allow Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to leave the West Bank town of Ramallah, where he has been confined since December.

UN debate

The BBC's Greg Barrow at the United Nations in New York says that the Security Council is sending a signal that the international community is still engaged in the search for a peaceful settlement in the Middle East.

But council members cannot agree on a unified approach.

Security Council members cannot agree a course of action

A number of speakers supported the latest proposals by Crown Prince Abdullah, but other nations re-stated entrenched positions.

Israel declared that it was not prepared to resume negotiations with the Palestinians until there was a complete and unconditional cessation of violence, while the Palestinian observer urged the Security Council to put more pressure on Israel.

The US delegate said Security Council action would not resolve the problems between the Palestinians and Israelis.

If America does not want the council involved, it can always use its power of veto to stop any action it proposes.