The Israeli Prime Minister has agreed at a summit with President Clinton to a greater US role in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks to try to meet a deadline next month for a framework deal. As Ehud Barak's plane was travelling home from Washington, a senior Israeli official outlined an intensive timetable for forging an accord by the end of May. He said that the Palestinian President Yasser Arafat would meet Mr Clinton at the White House on Tuesday while negotiations continue near Washington.
Mr Barak would return to the US capital on 20 May, and the two Middle East leaders would take part directly in what the official called the "end game". The May agreement is meant to be an outline for a September peace treaty resolving the toughest issues dividing the two sides: borders, Jerusalem, Jewish settlements, and Palestinian refugees.
