Rice to hold ME talks

U.S. 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 settlement expansion and violence in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, U.S.-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 may further dim the chances of a deal this year, Israeli, Palestinian and Western officials say.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the three-way meeting between Rice and the chief negotiators -- Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and former Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie -- would take place on June 16 in Jerusalem.

"It is to review the negotiations in all its aspects," Erekat said.

Rice, who will visit Israel and the occupied West Bank, convened a similar three-way meeting earlier this year.

Qurie said on Saturday that the Palestinians were still conducting talks with their Israeli counterparts despite "wide gaps" in positions. The two sides agreed in their last meeting to begin drafting a position paper in an attempt to narrow those gaps, he said.