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MIDEAST

Israeli politician urges Hamas talks

JERUSALEM | A senior opposition leader in Israel unveiled a peace plan Sunday that held out the possibility of negotiations with Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group in control of the Gaza Strip.

Shaul Mofaz, a former defense chief who is now No. 2 in the centrist Kadima party, raised the prospect of talks with Hamas - an idea rejected by both Israel and Hamas for years - to restart the long-stalled peace process with the Palestinians.

Israel and Western powers have said they would engage Hamas if it agreed to recognize Israel, renounce violence and accept interim peace deals, terms Hamas refuses to accept.

While still saying that Hamas must accept the West's demands, Mr. Mofaz said that if it won Palestinian elections in January, "I think that Israel must sit with a group that changes its agenda and the way it conducts business."

IRAN

Nuclear agency seeks clarification

UNITED NATIONS | The head of the U.N. nuclear agency urged Iran on Monday to clarify its response amid mixed signals over a U.S.-backed proposal that would have Tehran ship most of its nuclear material abroad for processing.

Iran's foreign minister said that option still exists, while a senior diplomat suggested the opposite. The proposal would have Tehran export 70 percent of its enriched uranium - enough to make a bomb - and then have it returned as fuel for its research reactor.