Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz will meet with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in the coming days to discuss the transfer of five West Bank cities, local Ha'aretz daily reported Sunday.

After a Palestinian suicide bomber killed five Israelis in Tel Aviv on Feb. 25, Israel froze measures agreed on at last month's Sharm el-Sheikh summit -- the handover of West Bank cities to Palestinian security control and the release of 400 more Palestinian prisoners, in addition to the 500 freed last month.

The transfer of the West Bank cities was also on the agenda of a Sunday night meeting between top Israeli and Palestinian security officials.

The meeting was called at the request of the Palestinian side, in an attempt to reach a breakthrough after three weeks of stalemate.

Jericho will be the first of the cities to be transferred to Palestinian control, but there have been disputes between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Palestinian National Authority over the size of the area from which IDF troops will withdraw.

(Xinhua News Agency March 7, 2005)