Ross arrives at the area in coming week

Dennis Ross, the US peace envoy, is due to arrive in the Middle East area early next week to see the achieved progress in the Palestinian track.

Ross will also prepare for the visit of US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to the area, during which she will discuss convening a trilateral summit among Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, and US President Bill Clinton to reach a final agreement during the coming eight weeks.

US diplomatic sources in Cairo said that Ross's visit is related only to the Palestinian peace track and that it has nothing to do with the Syrian or Lebanese track.