Ross to visit Israel next Tuesday

An Israeli source said on Friday in Jerusalem that the US Middle East peace process coordinator, Dennis Ross, will arrive in Israel on Tuesday in order to join the round of Israeli- Palestinian negotiations which will start in the city of Eilat next Sunday in an attempt to reach an agreement of the final status framework.

Meanwhile, an Israeli official who asked not to be identified stated on Friday in a statement to Israeli Radio that a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat during the coming negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian government in Eilat is ruled out, SANA reported.