RAMALLAH Ñ The Palestinian Authority has agreed to a series of high-level meetings with Israel in a prelude to a summit between Yasser Arafat and President George Bush.

PA officials said chairman Yasser Arafat would meet several times with Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres. Officials said the number of meetings would depend on the success of the first session.

Arafat adviser Nabil Abu Rudeineh said that the date and venue of the first meeting would be announced on Sunday. The announcement will be issued by European Union envoy Javier Solana.

Abu Rudeineh said Arafat wanted to know whether Peres was authorized to make concessions to the Palestinians. He said it was not clear whether Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has agreed to this.

In Washington, U.S. officials said Bush is likely to meet Arafat at the United Nations General Assembly later this month. The officials said Bush has been under pressure from Saudi Arabia for such a meeting.

The officials said the White House has linked an Arafat-Bush meeting to the PA chairman meeting Peres. Another condition is a resumption of security meetings between Israel and the PA.

Fighting continued between Israelis and Palestinians over the weekend. In the West Bank town of El Bireh, Israeli AH-64A helicopters fired three missiles and heavily damaged the headquarters of Arafat's Fatah movement.

Gunbattles were also reported between Israeli and Palestinian combatants in Hebron and Rafah in the Gaza Strip. Two Palestinians were reportedly killed in Rafah.

On Sunday, Palestinian gunners ambushed an Israeli schoolbus in the Jordan Valley. Israeli military sources said several people were injured.

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