Israeli official sees 2-year period for peace talks

NETANYA, Israel, Jan 18 (Reuters) Israel and the Palestinians should be able to reach a final peace deal within two years of restarting negotiations, a senior Israeli official said today.

''I believe, strongly believe, that the time is right for a direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiation about the final-status agreement,'' Deputy Defence Minister Ephraim Sneh told a conference on the role of the United States and other third-parties in the stalled peace process.

''Two years are enough to conclude a detailed agreement,'' he said, proposing a six-month discussion of principles before advancing to final details on establishing a Palestinian state.

''In the government of Israel, there is a majority for doing it. We have an opportunity but I don't know how long it will last. So we have to do it very, very quickly,'' Sneh said.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who visited Israel and the Palestinian territories last week, plans to hold a three-way summit with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert early next month to try to revive statehood talks.

Washington is seeking to bolster President Abbas politically and militarily in his power struggle with the Islamist Hamas movement, which took control of the Palestinian government in March after winning elections.

The United States has so far publicly committed at least 128 million dollars to the effort, 86 million dollars to train and equip Mr Abbas's presidential guard and up to 42 million dollars to promote so-called democratic ''alternatives'' to Hamas.

Lieutenant-General Keith Dayton, who is overseeing US efforts to strengthen Mr Abbas's presidential guard, said at the conference in the Israeli city of Netanya: ''This is very hard, slow, tedious and frustrating work.'' But he said the United States was ''in this for the long-haul.'' ''We believe this is achievable,'' Dayton said.

President Abbas has called for holding new elections if last-ditch unity government talks with Hamas fail.

Washington hopes President Abbas will prevail if he can show Palestinian voters that he can deliver an independent state through negotiations. Hamas's charter calls for Israel's destruction.

REUTERS SHB RK1638