Kerry to meet Palestinian negotiator

AMMAN: US Secretary of State John Kerry was Friday to meet with chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat in a final push to get a peace bid back on track before heading home.

A senior State Department official told the meeting was to start around 9:30 am (0630 GMT) in Amman, before Kerry was then due to fly back to Washington.

The move came after the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah rejected Kerry's proposals for a framework to guide the relaunch of peace talks stalled for nearly three years.

The setback for the US plan came from the governing Revolutionary Council of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's own Fatah movement, which demanded changes.

The broader Palestine Liberation Organisation, which also includes leftwing factions less sympathetic towards a compromise, said it was also drawing up a formal response to Kerry's proposals.

"Secretary Kerry will meet with Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erakat in Amman this morning," the senior State Department official said in a statement.

Palestinian member of parliament Mustafa Barghuti said after Ramallah talks on Thursday that "most factions" within the PLO had rejected Kerry's proposal.

Kerry arrived in Amman on Tuesday for intensive talks with Abbas and Arab leaders, having pressed hard since he took up office in February to bring the two sides back to the negotiating table.