U.S. AND ISRAEL SHIFT ATTENTION TO PEACE PROCESS.

WASHINGTON -- President Obama said Tuesday that he expected direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians to begin ''well before'' a moratorium on settlement construction expired at the end of September, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel pledged to take ''concrete steps'' in the coming weeks to get the talks moving. The president's comments, after a 79-minute, one-on-one session in the Oval Office, were the first in which he articulated a timetable for peace negotiations. They also reflected a palpable shift in the administration's approach to a relationship that has been rife with tension since soon after Mr. Obama took office. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]