71.   Government spokesman Arieh Mekel put the blame personally on Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, whom the Israelis have been trying hard to remove as a negotiating partner.

72.   He will also express his desire for Arafat to be dropped and for an alternative negotiating partner to step forward.

73.   His comments came hours before Sharon was due to meet US President George W. Bush in a bid to persuade him to dump Arafat as a negotiating partner.

74.   However, he did not name any possible negotiating partners.

75.   But he is considered a flexible negotiating partner by Moscow, where the prospect of a victory by Basayev caused worry.

76.   But while Washington gave Arafat the cold shoulder, a meeting of European Union foreign ministers called on Israel to recognize the Palestinian Authority as a legitimate negotiating partner.

77.   Chirac, meanwhile, said Arafat remains the only negotiating partner for Israel, in separate calls with Sharon and the Palestinian leader.

78.   Earlier Thursday, rebel radio in Goma, eastern Zaire, dismissed Mobutu as a negotiating partner, hinting that rebel leaders would not talk to him.

79.   The spokesman also said the US presence in South Korea did not allow North Korea to stand on an equal footing with the other negotiating partners.

80.   KEPCO promised to select the preferred negotiating partner by the end of February and conclude negotiations by the end of March.