Israeli Foreign Minister Mr Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat will meet at a dinner attended by other dignitaries in Brussels tonight but will not hold private peace talks, a Peres aide said.
"The two will attend the group dinner, and then a coffee meeting with another five dignitaries, hosted by the Belgian prime minister (Guy Verhofstadt). That's all," the aide, Mr Yoram Dori, said.
Both Middle East leaders were in the Belgian capital for a European Union-Middle East conference.
Mr Dori denied reports the meeting would constitute the first substantive talks between Israel and the Palestinians since Mr Peres and Mr Arafat met under US pressure on September 26th to reaffirm a ceasefire that never took hold.
"Such reports," Mr Dori said, were "absolutely wrong".
Mr Peres has said he has no mandate to negotiate with Mr Arafat until the Palestinian leader meets Israel's demands to rein in Muslim militants behind attacks on Israelis.
Mr Peres and Mr Arafat last met over the weekend at a Middle East economic conference on the Spanish resort island of Majorca, but held no negotiations.
Asked about the Brussels meeting, Israeli cabinet minister Mr Tsipi Livni told Israel's Channel One television: "Peres has no authority to hold negotiations at this time, when there is no quiet."