Still, top-level talks do not appear likely before the election on Jan. 9 to choose the new head of the Palestinian Authority.

With the Israeli and Palestinian leaders scheduled to meet Tuesday in the first top-level talks since February, the almost daily violence that has been straining their truce continued Monday.

All 192 often hornery nations, many of whom feel excluded from the top-level talks, will have to agree to whatever they decide.

Moscow has suggested that it recognizes as much by holding top-level talks with resistance leaders and keeping its Kabul client in the dark.

The American Secretary of State was due to arrive next week for top-level talks in Paris.

Both he and a senior British official, Michael Ancram, said there would probably be further top-level talks.

Despite the violence, Israelis and Palestinians continued to hint at top-level talks leading to a cease-fire.

D. Stewart Low, a G.M. spokesman, said this afternoon that while a deal did not appear imminent, the very continuation of top-level talks was a good sign.

A Japanese diplomat said the deficit, now in its fourth year, was one of the major concerns of Chinese officials during top-level talks on economic issues in Tokyo in May.

The two leaders would be renewing top-level talks that halted in August, during the violence that ended a previous Palestinian cease-fire.