Israel allows 200 homes on disputed Golan as talks stay deadlocked

Ramon, who is close to Prime Minister Ehud Barak, said the Syrians "rudely rejected the generous proposals put forward by Israel, and there will be resumption of negotiations without a significant change in the Syrian stance."

Meanwhile, spurred by setbacks on all fronts in the Mid-east talks, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak jetted to Washington for talks Tuesday with the chief peace process sponsor, US President Bill Clinton.

"It’s a good moment to move the process forward. There is a lot of hard work that needs to be done," White House spokesman Mike Hammer said, pointing to fast approaching deadlines for ending the 50-year conflict. Topping the agenda of the evening talks will be the Israeli-Palestinian framework accord that missed its March timetable and now is slated for May and must pave the way for a final peace deal in September.

The whirlwind trip, which includes talks with US envoy Dennis Ross, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and National Security Advisor Sandy Berger, was initiated by Israel, a US administration official said. "The Israelis were interested in having these chats and we thought it would be a good idea," the official said on condition of anonymity.

Barak is to deliver his final offer to Clinton, according his spokesman, who said on Israeli television Monday that the Prime Minister will spell out where "exactly the ‘red lines’ are that Israel will not go beyond."

But Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, who follows Barak to the White House on April 20, is attacking Barak as the "leader of hardliners and settlers" and accusing him of foot-dragging in negotiations. Barak recently announced the annexation of three Israeli settlements, throwing fuel on the hottest fire in the dispute: the future of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and the status of Jerusalem.

But White House spokesman Joe Lockhart chided Arafat for the remarks, which he said, do "not positively contribute to an ultimate solution here." Despite the differences, however, the Israeli-Palestinian track is where US officials may hope to make the most headway, as the Syrian track is frozen and the process with Lebanon has not yet begun.

High-level Palestinian-Israeli talks are continuing at Bolling Air base just outside Washington. US officials insist – if somewhat defensively that progress is being made there. "It is not our assessment that they are a waste of time," State Department spokesman James Rubin said in response to Arafat’s suggestion that the negotiations were futile.

Barak will also be discussing the shattered peace talks with Syria and plans for pulling his troops out of Lebanon. The resumption of that track after a four-year hiatus had enthusiasm running high here earlier this year, but the talks broke down almost immediately with little prospect for a restart.

Clinton met with Syrian President Hafez al-Assad last month in Geneva and failed to win any agreement to head back to the table, and Rubin said Monday there had been no movement since. "From our standpoint, we have not heard anything that in our view could address seriously the remaining gaps," Rubin said of Syria’s latest response to Israeli demands.

Shortly after the Geneva summit, Clinton said the "ball was in Syria’s court" in reply to Barak’s proposals, which reportedly included modifications on the borders Israel is seeking following withdrawal from the Golan Heights. Syria is demanding the return of the entire plateau it lost in a 1967 Arab-Israeli war, but Israel is seeking to control a thin strip of land that would give it access to the Sea of Galilee. Clinton will also hear Barak’s ideas for his planned troop withdrawal from South Lebanon, which has sparked fears of instability in the volatile region that could ultimately draw Israel and Syria into war.

The United States has not said officially whether it would offer any peacekeeping support, but the anonymous US official said any US troop deployments were highly unlikely. "There is little appetite for that," the official added. China will also figure in the talks here with Barak, who meets Wednesday with President Jiang Zemin. Washington is worried about plans for Israel to provide military technology to China despite its protests.

"We have long had concerns about Israel and other countries supporting Chinese military developments," said Rubin. "We have a very active dialogue with Israel and we have discussed these matters in the past, and we intend to continue to discuss them vigorously."