In Israel and the Occupied Territories, Israeli and Palestinian leaders have held their first meetings ahead of a planned Mideast peace conference next month.

Palestinian negotiator Saed Erekat: “They met with their negotiating teams jointly, and they instructed us to begin, as of next week, negotiations to achieve a joint document on the core issues, with the intention of submitting it to the conference, the international conference, that President Bush called — invited, next autumn.”

The Bush administration says the conference will revive its peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians. Israel has drawn criticism from several Arab states for refusing to halt West Bank settlement activity ahead of the summit.