Israeli-Palestinian talks held

Israel's attempt to kill the Hamas political leader was an early setback

Israel and the Palestinians have resumed high-level security talks after a week which saw some of the worst bloodshed since the start of the current Palestinian uprising 32 months ago.

They went on for three hours at a venue in the West Bank town of Ramallah late on Saturday.

It was the first public contact between the two sides since the escalation in violence over the past week left about 60 people dead and seriously jeopardised the Middle East peace plan, known as the roadmap.

Israeli army general Amos Gilad told the Palestinian security chief, Mohammed Dahlan, that violence by Palestinian militants had to be curbed before Israel could begin withdrawing from the occupied territories.

Mr Dahlan responded by saying the most effective way for Israel to guarantee its security was to end the occupation and to stop assassinating Palestinian militants and bulldozing their homes.

The two sides have agreed to meet again soon, but have not set a specific date.

The meeting came as the American special envoy to the Middle East, John Wolf, arrived in Jerusalem.

The BBC's David Chazan, in Jerusalem, says Mr Wolf will be pleased that the meeting has gone ahead, but any Israeli offer of a partial withdrawal from Gaza - one of the first steps in the roadmap - is unlikely to satisfy the Palestinians.

ROADMAP MAIN POINTS

Phase 1 (to May 2003): End to Palestinian violence; Palestinian political reform; Israeli withdrawal and freeze on settlement expansion; Palestinian elections

Phase 2: (June-Dec 2003) Creation of an independent Palestinian state; international conference and international monitoring of compliance with roadmap

Phase 3 (2004-2005): Second international conference; permanent status agreement and end of conflict; agreement on final borders, Jerusalem, refugees and settlements; Arab states to agree to peace deals with Israel

The question is whether the two sides will agree to take the first steps outlined in the roadmap even if there is not complete agreement.

Our correspondent says that despite the meeting there is little optimism after a week of ferocious violence.

There had been confusion over whether Saturday's meeting would happen, after disagreements among Palestinian officials over whether the time was right.

The Israelis have attached several conditions to their withdrawal offer, including a demand for an end to Palestinian rocket attacks against Israeli settlements.

This is an undertaking that Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas - also known as Abu Mazen - has been reluctant to give without first agreeing a ceasefire with the militant Islamic group Hamas.

Israel has also denied reports that it is willing to suspend missile attacks and other military operations in Gaza for three days to allow Abu Mazen to make contact with militant groups.

Meanwhile, a Palestinian official has told the French news agency AFP that Abu Mazen is to visit Gaza on Monday to continue dialogue with militant factions.

The visit is said to coincide with the arrival in Gaza of a team of Egyptian security officials trying to broker a ceasefire.

Hamas rejection

Earlier, Palestinian Information Minister Nabil Amr declared that the Palestinians were ready to take over responsibility for security in those parts of Gaza evacuated by Israeli troops.

Have your say on the chances for the roadmap

This would include halting rocket attacks on Israeli settlements.

But Hamas has rejected the roadmap, and broke off truce talks with Abu Mazen last week.

It then carried out a suicide bombing of a Jerusalem bus, killing 17, in response to an Israeli attempt to assassinate Hamas political leader Abdel-Aziz al-Rantissi.

A series of retaliatory strikes followed, with Israel declaring all-out war on Hamas.

In the latest violence on Saturday, a Palestinian teenager was killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank town of Nablus.

Palestinian medical sources and witnesses said he had been throwing stones at an Israeli tank.