The United States is seeking a further delay in the publication of a Middle East peace plan that provides for a Palestinian state in order to give Israel time to form a new government, US officials said Friday.

The officials declined to confirm a report that Washington was looking for a six-week delay, but said the reality of the situation following Israeli elections earlier this week would make progress on the so-called "roadmap" difficult in the immediate future.

The publication of the roadmap, which had been expected in December, was first delayed at the request of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Sharon, who opposes elements of the plan, did not want it to become an issue in the campaign for Monday's election in which he won re-election.

Despite the delays, State

Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the United States remained committed to the roadmap and to President George W. Bush's vision of two states -Israel and Palestine -- living side-byside.

"We recognize the reality of elections, the formation of a government would maybe slow things down and not provide the atmosphere for high-level decisions," he told reporters.

"Obviously, if you are looking for governmental decisions, there has to be a government to make those decisions," Boucher said.

He said Washington believed the roadmap remained "the best means to implement the vision of two states living side-by-side."

"We want to keep moving as we can," he said, adding that Secretary of State Colin Powell delivered the same message to Israel on Wednesday in a telephone call to Sharon.

The Washington Post reported

earlier Friday that the United States wanted to delay the release of the roadmap -- created by the international diplomatic "quartet" on the Middle East -- by six weeks.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian leadership is ready to discuss a general ceasefire with the Israelis and immediately restart peace talks under the guidance of the so-called Quartet, it said in a statement Saturday.

"The Palestinian leadership said it was ready to conclude a general ceasefire agreement in all the regions and restart negotiations as soon as possible under the aegis of the quartet," the leadership said after its meeting late Friday in the West Bank town of Ramallah, cited by the official WAFA news agency.

The quartet on Middle East peace -- the United States, European Union, Russia, and the United Nations -- is due to propose a peace plan expected to call for a Palestinian state by 2005 and guarantees of Israeli security.