Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni announced yesterday that she has sent formal invitations to her counterparts, Egyptian FM Ahmed Aboul Gheit and Jordanian FM Abdelelah al-Khatib for talks in Israel on the Arab peace initiative.

The letters formalized the invitation Livni extended to the ministers when she met with them in Cairo on May 10.

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The Arab initiative offers Israel normal ties with all Arab states in return for a full withdrawal to the pre-1967 borders, creation of a Palestinian state and a "just solution" for Palestinian refugees.

It was originally presented to Israel in 2002, but Israel would not agree to the right of return for refugees. The initiative was recently revived and unanimously approved at the March Arab League summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Political turmoil in Israel after the release of the highly critical partial report of the Winograd war probe delayed talks on the initiative.

Aboul Gheit and al-Khatib were chosen by the Arab League as its representatives in negotiations on the peace initiative with Israel. In Cairo, they presented the initiative's principles.