JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Secretary of State Madeleine Albright meets Palestinian President Yasser Arafat on Tuesday, trying to forge a Middle East peace deal in talks that an Israeli negotiator called the "most serious" ever.
             Saying the moment of truth was fast approaching for Israelis and Palestinians, Albright spent about three hours with Barak in Jerusalem Monday and a senior U.S. official said they would meet again Tuesday after she sees Arafat in the West Bank.
             "The talks with the Palestinians are the most serious talks which have ever taken place between us and our neighbors as we head toward a final-status agreement," Israeli peace negotiator Shlomo Ben-Ami told Israel Radio.
             With seven months left in office, President Clinton hopes to crown years of mediation at a three-way summit with Barak and Arafat. But U.S. officials say the gaps are still too big to fix a date during Albright's two-day visit.
             The Israelis and Palestinians have set September 13 as the target date for agreement on what they call final-status issues such as the borders of the Palestinian territories, Jerusalem, Jewish settlements and Palestinian refugees.
             Barak agreed Monday that a summit must be properly prepared. "It's not without risk, but if the conditions for a summit ripen, it should be done," he told a joint news conference with Albright.
             "We are within a narrow window of opportunity...and it will be tested within the next few weeks, whether there is the determination on the part of the two sides," Barak added.
             But speaking to Israel's Channel Two television Monday before meeting Albright, Barak complained again about the way he said the Palestinians were conducting the negotiations.
             "In the past few weeks we've seen a certain amount of foot-dragging on the part of the Palestinians...As far as we are concerned, the main aim of Albright's visit is to see her encourage the Pa
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