Rice to open talks with Palestinian, Israeli negotiators

Ramallah: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice plans to hold a three-way meeting next week with the chief Israeli and Palestinian negotiators, a senior Palestinian official said on Monday.

Marred by disputes over Jewish colony expansion and violence in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, US-backed peace talks have shown little sign of progress since they were launched at a conference in Annapolis, Maryland in November.

A corruption investigation of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert could trigger new elections, dimming the chances of a deal this year, Israeli, Palestinian and Western officials say.

Palestinian officials said the three-way meeting between Rice and the chief negotiators - Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and former Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmad Qorei - would take place on June 15 in occupied Jerusalem, and not June 16 as previously stated. "It is to review the negotiations in all its aspects," said Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat.

Peace: Dialogue with syria

Indirect peace talks between Israel and Syria are scheduled to resume this week in Turkey, Israeli officials said on Monday.

The officials said Israel favoured moving to direct talks but it was unclear when that would happen. "We expect the Israeli team to be in Turkey shortly," said Mark Regev, Israeli spokesman.