WASHINGTON. May 4: President Bill Clinton may ask Arab and Israeli peace negotiators to meet with him at the White House next week, an administration official said Monday, reports AFP.

The meeting would reflect the Clinton administration's more active role *in the peace talks, which began in October 1991. The .ninth round of the negotiations currently is underway here.

An official said Clinton would like to meet with all the delegation leaders at the same time, rather than separately.

Limited progress was made Monday in what negotiators said was a positive and serious atmosphere.

A bilateral working group on human rights In the occupied territories met late Monday. Working groups negotiating Palestinian autonomy and water and land rights met earlier.

Israel has proposed giving an elected Palestinian council day-to-day control over decisions in a planned semi-autonomous area in the West Bank and Gaza Strip for five years.

Earlier Monday, Chief Palestinian delegate Haldarr Abdel Shafi said there was no breakthrough in the first two-hour bilateral session with Israel following a three-day weekend break but that the tone of the talks was serious.

Meanwhile, a second batch of 14 long-time Palestinian deportees, including the mayor of East Jerusalem, returned home to a rousing reception in the Israeli-occupied territories on Monday.

About two thousand chanting and flag-waving supporters Joined relatives to lay on an emotion-changed welcome for the exiles, some of whom Israel has not allowed home in 25 years.

A marching scout band struck up and choruses of the Palestinian anthem "Biladi" (my homeland) rang out as the deportee’s bus drew up to the Israeli side of the Allenby Bridge out side Jericho in the occupied West Bank.

But the army then ordered the well-wishers to Aqbat Jabr Palestinian refugee camp several kilometres away on the other side of the West Bank town for security reasons."

The welcoming ceremony, decorated with green-red-white and black Palestinian flags, which are banned by the occupying power, continued there during the evening after the exiles completed’the border formalities.

Fifteen Palestinians deported between 1967 and 1987 received a tumultuous reception when they arrived over the bridge spanning the Jordan River on Friday as a goodwill gesture by Israel following Tuesday's resumption of the Middle East Peace Talks in Washington.

Israel is considering allowing at least another 30 longterm deportees to return, according to state radio.

But 400 Palestinian Muslim fundamentalists deported to Lebanon last December 17 are now not under consideration to return before December despite an Improved atmosphere at the ninth round of peace talks where Palestinian leaders are now predicting progress.