Sources in PM's bureau: PA talks will likely resume this month

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes there is a good chance that negotiations with the Palestinian Authority will be renewed by the end of January, senior officials in Netanyahu's bureau said. The officials said that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was to meet at the beginning of next week with PA President Mahmoud Abbas to present his agreements with Netanyahu on conditions for reopening talks and to pressure Abbas to return to the table.

According to the officials, most of the efforts to jump-start the talks are being made by Mubarak in conjunction with the United States. During Netanyahu's talks on Tuesday with Mubarak in Cairo, the prime minister discussed with Mubarak his agreements with the United States on conditions for opening talks with the Palestinians. A senior official said that Netanyahu "had not gone with new positions, but with ideas to renew talks."

Netanyahu has frequently met in recent weeks with Defense Minister Ehud Barak and President Shimon Peres about the peace process. The two have been urging Netanyahu to move ahead, even if this means responding to some Palestinian demands.

Netanyahu apparently told Mubarak that Israel had agreed to discuss with the PA all the core issues, including Jerusalem and refugees. Israel has also apparently agreed to a preliminary two-year timetable for the talks and to express a commitment to previous agreements.

The Egyptians and the Americans are apparently exploring the idea of a launch event in Egypt for the talks with the participation of the Quartet, Egypt, Jordan, Israel and the PA.

The officials in Netanyahu's bureau said they were optimistic about the possibility of renewed talks. "Abu Mazen [Abbas] understands that if there are no talks, terror groups will enter the vacuum," one of them said. Sources close to Netanyahu said yesterday that if Egypt invited the parties to a peace conference, Israel would be glad to attend.

Next week the diplomatic process is to go into higher gear. After Mubarak's meetings with Abbas, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit is to go to Washington with intelligence chief Omar Suleiman. In the second week in January, U.S. special envoy George Mitchell is scheduled to visit the region.

However, in a speech yesterday on the anniversary of the founding of Fatah, Abbas said he would continue demanding a full construction freeze in the settlements, including East Jerusalem, as a condition for beginning talks.