WASHINGTON. Dec 31: US Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott proposed Wednesday hold-' ing an early vote that would re-.quire a two-thirds majority to permit a full airing of evidence in President Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial and open the door to censure if it failed. The lead prosecutor from the House of Representatives immediately objected, reports AP.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry Hyde urged Lott "not to sacrifice substance and duty for speed,” and said the majority leader s plan "would unwisely short-circuit the process."

"We are especially concerned by your proposal to forgo a trial if one-third of the Senate fails to vote for the House position on a preliminary motion before the president and the- House have fully presented their cases," Hyde wrote Lott.

The sudden split between Hyde, the leader of 13 lawmakers appointed by the House to be prosecutors, and Lott came as Senate leaders discussed more detailed plans for the first presidential impeachment trial in 130 years.

A Senate leadership source, speaking only on condition of anonymity, said Lott and

Democratic Senate Leader Tom Dasqhle discussed allowing a censure vote if a two-Thirds vote for conviction appeared impossible. Both leaders appeared amenable to presenting the idea to their colleagues when the new Congress returns to work next week, the source said.

Another Senate source, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said Lott and Dashle discussed opening the trial in early January with as few as three days of presentation — one day each for the House prosecutors and Clinton's defence team and a third day for questions.

That would be followed by a vote on whether to proceed. If that failed to gain the support of 67 senators, a censure alternative could be brought to the floor, the two sources said. No final agreement was reached, they added.

Meanwhile, two friends of Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr said the prosecutor had not ruled out entering into a three-way censure deal with Clinton and the Senate that might preclude future prosecution of the president.

Starr's office has not been contacted about a possible deal.

and the prosecutor is not soliciting such an offer but has not ruled out considering one if brought to him, the friends said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Some Clinton supporters have said the president was unlikely to sign on to a censure deal that concluded he had committed wrongdoing — and then could be used against him by Starr in a criminal prosecution after he leaves office.

Some have suggested a three-way deal in which Starr would agree not to prosecute Clinton if the president admitted making false statements in his testimony.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin G. Hatch. Republican of Utah, has repeatedly said he favours censure if it becomes clear a two-thirds Senate vote for conviction was not attainable.

But three other Republican senators, Phil Gramm of Texas. Bob Smith of New Hampshire and Mike DeWine of Ohio, said Wednesday they wouldn't support censure under any circumstances.

"As censure is a political deal and there is no pretense of impartial decision-making," DeWine said.