The talks for the framework agreement on the final-status issues are to begin at once, American officials said.

"The tough challenge now is to get down to final-status issues and we're eager to do it."

That's crucial, because it's impossible to imagine them addressing the final-status issues, let alone the day-to-day ones that will crop up, without a more self-sustaining relationship.

"The final-status issues are reserved for the third phase of the road map," this official added.

The Bush administration believes that raising final-status issues now will undermine genuine Palestinian reform.

And until now it had been generally accepted that talks on final-status issues like settlements would not begin until after two years.

And he promises that he will not even consider such final-status issues as Jerusalem and refugees.

The Palestinians have generally opposed interim measures, and prefer to focus on final-status issues.

Palestinian leaders, while wary of skipping past the remaining land transfers due under Oslo, have recently been thinking creatively about final-status issues.

The peace plan calls for it to be discussed with other so-called final-status issues, like Jerusalem, at the tail end of the process.