The special US Middle East envoy recently named by the Bush administration, Mr William Burns, is to meet with Palestinian leader Mr Yasser Arafat then Israeli Prime Minister Mr Ariel Sharon tomorrow, an Israeli spokeman said.
Palestinian negotiator Mr Saeb Erakat confirmed the meeting with Arafat, saying it was scheduled for tomorrow morning in the West Bank town of Ramallah.
"The American envoy will discuss applying the first stage of the Mitchell report, which calls for an immediate and unconditional halt to the violence, as well as a timetable for the following stages," Mr Sharon’s spokesman Mr Raanan Gissin said today.
He was referring to the report of the commission chaired by former US senator George Mitchell into the causes of the violence which was published on Monday and is supported by the United States.
It calls for a halt to the violence and a freeze of Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories.
Mr Sharon has refused to freeze settlements, while the Palestinians are calling for the Mitchell report to be carried out in its entirety.
The US State Department said on Thursday that Mr Burns would "soon" meet Arafat with the US ambassador to Israel Mr Martin Indyk and the US consul general in Jerusalem, Mr Ronald Schlicher.
Mr Indyk and Mr Schlicher already had talks with Mr Sharon early in the week following Monday's publication of the Mitchell report.
Mr Sharon said yesterday he would extend the unilateral ceasefire announced for the Israeli army "for a few more days," despite the suicide attack in Hadera in northern Israel, in which the two bombers were killed and 12 people were injured.
"The prime minister's instructions given to the army not to launch any operations against the Palestinians except in the case of self-defence remain in force," Mr Gissin added.
The Palestinians have said Israel's announcement of a unilateral ceasefire on Tuesday evening was intended to fool public opinion and that the Israeli army has never stopped fighting.
Palestinian militants in the Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements vowed to stage more bombings as they began a funeral march today for on of the suicide bombers.
"No alternative to bombings," thousands of supporters of both movements chanted. "We will continue the bombings."
Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin vowed more suicide attacks after yesterday morning's blast.
AFP