Jerusalem, Sep.15 Israeli diplomatic officials have said that Tuesday's meeting between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and US envoy George Mitchell may not lead to any declaration of a US-Israel agreement on the settlement issue.

The officials, however, said that Israel is willing to start talks with the United States immediately.

According to the Jerusalem Post, the Prime Minister's Office issued a statement Monday night saying "a meeting has not yet been set to launch the diplomatic process."

Netanyahu is currently scheduled to travel to New York next Wednesday, speak to the General Assembly on Thursday and return Friday before Shabbat.

One Israeli diplomatic official said the search was still on for a framework that would enable the restarting of talks.

The official made clear that complete agreement on all issues was neither expected nor necessary.

Netanyahu's meeting with Mitchell, originally scheduled for early Monday afternoon, was postponed to early Tuesday morning so that both men could attend the funeral of Captain Assaf Ramon.

A US embassy spokesman said Mitchell wanted to attend the funeral to express solidarity with the family and with Israel. (ANI)