GAZA, Aug 7 (Saba) -- The US troubleshooter for the Middle East Senator George Mitchell may delay a forecast imminent visit to the region, according to Israeli political sources, according to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).

The sources, cited by Israel Radio early on Saturday, said Mitchell might delay his new mission to the region due "to the Palestinians' unwavering rejection of resuming the direct negotiations" with the Israelis.

The Palestinians' chief negotiator, Saeb Oreikat, reiterated on Friday that Israel "must meet some of the terms," necessary for holding negotiations at this level, clearly alluding to the demand for scrapping Israel's settlement schemes.

The Palestinian side does not object to the holding of the direct negotiations, as Israel has been trying to portray to the international community, but it is keen on securing the necessary foundations for ensuring success of such talks, namely Israel's abidance by commitments regarding the cessation of the settlements' construction and accepting the specific references for the peace process, Oreikat pointed out.

Oreikat re-affirmed that Tel Aviv must first recognize the reference of the peace process, that is the acceptance of establishing two states according tot the 1967 borders and swap of lands, for sake of paving way for holding the direct talks.

Washington has thrown its political weight into the arena of the regional peace efforts, trying to narrow the wide gulf between the Palestinians and Israelis and work out the long-trumpeted and aspired peace settlement.

The Palestinians say that the Israelis have been putting huge hurdles on the path of the peace process, with their intransigence regarding the construction and expansion of settlements. They also stress that East Jerusalem must be the capital of the aspired Palestinian state. However the Israelis insist that they regard the holy city as the capital of Israel.

Saba