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.