Peres and Arafat try to arrange ceasefire talks

After a spate of bombings in Jerusalem, Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat were today attempting to arrange truce talks, possibly next week in Egypt.

The two men, who have offices only a few miles apart, have been talking about a such a meeting for more than two weeks, but their efforts have been set back by political tensions and ongoing violence.

Five bombs exploded in Jerusalem over the previous two days, including a Palestinian suicide bombing that killed the attacker and injured 20 people.

Peres and Arafat both plan to attend an international economic conference that starts on Friday on the shores of Lake Como in Italy. Both sides have raised the possibility of a meeting on the sidelines of the conference, but Peres said he would prefer a less public venue.

‘‘We shall try to continue our efforts to achieve a ceasefire,’’ Peres said. ‘‘The preparations are going on, and also we would like to have our meeting in a more isolated place, without so many lenses of televisions and pens of journalists.’’

Arafat’s spokesman Nabil Aburdeneh said the meeting probably would not be set until after Arab foreign ministers meet in Cairo on Sunday.

Palestinian sources said Taba, Egypt, was a likely site for the talks.

There has been no claim of responsibility for Tuesday’s suicide bomb attack, but a Palestinian family living in a West Bank village suspect their eldest son may have been the bomber.

Raed al-Barghouti, 26, has been missing for two days, his family said. Israeli soldiers entered the family home Tuesday and confiscated items belonging to their son, a religion teacher at a local primary school.

The village is a stronghold for the Islamic militant group Hamas, and al-Barghouti was a devout Muslim, but the family would not confirm if he belonged to the group.