ARABS-ISRAEL - Aug. 8 - PA Officials In Washington.

PA chief negotiator Saeb Erekat, Interior Minister Abdel Razak Yehiye and Economic Minister Maher Masri meet US National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice in Washington. Later, they held talks with US State Secretary Colin Powell. US National Security Council spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters after talks with Rice: "It was a good discussion. We reiterated our commitment to moving the agenda forward. We talked generally about the reform process". Rice and PA ministers sidestepped a dispute over US demands to ostracise Arafat. McCormack said Arafat "was not a topic of discussion". After meeting with Yehiye, Powell said: "The discussions will be continuing over the next couple of days, and then we're anxious to get some specific actions started, especially with respect to security". Powell added that efforts to reorganise PA security forces scattered in months of Israeli occupation would be limited as long as Israeli forces continued to keep Palestinian police officers from moving around or carrying weapons. Yehiye said: "Behind the curtain, we are doing something, slowly, gradually". He expressed doubt that the US was "going to convince the Israelis, or make that pressure", to withdraw, but said: "I hope that". Analysts reported no breakthrough at the talks, which continued on Aug. 9. On Aug. 10, the PA delegation is to meet CIA Director George J. Tenet to discuss reshaping PA security forces.