Israeli Leader Expected To Meet With Arafat

Israeli and Palestinian officials have been holding secret talks to pave the way for the first meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat and to revive moribund peace negotiations, both sides confirmed Sunday.

Netanyahu - who once vowed he never would meet with the Palestinian leader - could sit down with Arafat as early as this week before a scheduled trip to the United States, officials said.

Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy, meeting with Egyptian leaders in Alexandria, Egypt, said he expects a summit between Netanyahu and Arafat to come “within days.”