Netanyahu offers proposals on talks

WASHINGTON, March 18 (UPI) -- Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu Thursday offered proposals to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Middle East peace talks, U.S. officials said.

Netanyahu brought up the proposals in a telephone call with Clinton as Israel and the United States searched for ways to resolve diplomatic tension over Israeli plans to build new housing in disputed parts of Jerusalem, The Washington Post reported.

The officials did not disclose details on Netanyahu's suggestions but the overture did result in the Obama administration deciding to send special envoy George Mitchell to the Middle East Sunday to try to initiate indirect contacts between Israelis and Palestinians, the Post said. Mitchell had been scheduled to travel to the region this week, but that trip was called off while Washington waited for Netanyahu to respond to Clinton's blunt criticism of the Israeli prime minister last week.

Clinton, in a telephone call with Netanyahu Friday, demanded that Israel cancel plans for the new housing construction.

President Barack Obama will be in Washington at the same time as Netanyahu next week, but the White House said Thursday no meeting has been set yet.

"We have not gotten that far down that road," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Thursday during his daily media briefing. He didn't say whether the two leaders would meet.

Obama decided Thursday morning to cancel his trip to Australia and Indonesia so he could be in Washington for an anticipated House vote on healthcare reform. He was to have departed Sunday. Gibbs said the trip was postponed until June.

Obama originally was to have left Thursday but delayed his departure until Sunday because of the action on healthcare.