Sept 4 (Reuters) - International envoy Tony Blair arrived in Jerusalem on Tuesday to assess efforts between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to renew peace negotiations.

Following are a list of the various strands of Western-backed diplomacy planned for the coming weeks.

EARLY SEPTEMBER: Blair will remain in the region through Sept 14 to try to develop initial recommendations for the Quartet of foreign peace mediators: the United States, European Union, United Nations and Russia.

Blair has voiced hope that Abbas's break with Hamas after the Islamist group overran the Gaza Strip in June could provide an opportunity for Israeli-Palestinian rapprochement.

But Olmert and Abbas have differed on how to prepare the ground. Olmert wants a broadbrush "declaration of principles". Abbas wants a more explicit "framework agreement" addressing core issues of the future Palestinian state's borders, the status of Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees.

Assistant U.S. Secretary of State David Welch plans to begin talks in Israel and the West Bank this week to try to narrow differences between Olmert and Abbas before a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in mid-September.

Olmert and Abbas are expected to meet again within days.

SEPT 23: U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expects to host a meeting of the Quartet just before the United Nations' annual General Assembly. They last met in Lisbon on July 19 and expect an update from Blair.

NOVEMBER: U.S. President George W. Bush said he would convene a Middle East conference by the end of the year, though it is unclear what will be achieved and who will participate. Israeli and Palestinian officials said they expected the conference to be held mid-to-late November. Diplomats expect a Washington-area venue.

AlertNet news is provided by