,Gideon Alon, Nathan Guttman, and Sharon Sadeh

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon intends to put a new "abridged" version of his disengagement plan before the government and Knesset, and tell his Likud faction the new plan will "advance Israel's interests" and "win broad agreement."

Sharon will emphasize that the new plan, for a more "limited" disengagement must be acceptable to the international community. The mood in the Prime Minister's Office was reported to be bleak and gloomy yesterday, one day after Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan was voted down by Likud members.

Sharon began meeting with key ministers for consultations as he prepares the new plan. He has invited his key coalition partner, Yosef Lapid of Shinui, to breakfast this morning at the Sharon family estate in the Negev.

Sharon met with Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz yesterday and with his deputy, Ehud Olmert and Public Security Minister Tzachi Hanegbi.

Mofaz said afterward that while the result of the referendum must be taken into account, he still believes in the "security principles" of the Sharon disengagement plan.

Some Likud ministers last night predicted Sharon would present a much slimmed-down version of his plan - among the possibilities was not evacuating settlements in the northern West Bank. Another scenario suggested he might reduce the plan to simply pulling out of Palestinian cities occupied during Operation Defensive Shield.

Meanwhile, Sharon has to decide whether to attend a May 17 AIPAC conference in Washington, when presumably he could also meet President Bush. Sharon is inclined toward attending but has not decided.

The current assessment in the PMO is that Israel-U.S. relations will not be harmed by the failure of the Sharon plan, which Bush enthusiastically endorsed and then came under attack from Arab and European leaders.

Sharon was clearly tense yesterday during the Likud Knesset faction session that preceded the opening of the House summer session. He read from a prepared statement before the doors closed on the meeting, and he said he was going into consultation with ministers and coalition members to formulate a new plan.

"The question is whether Israel initiates or is led," Sharon said, "and to make sure the plan Israel initiates does work in our favor, and not against us, and in addition is accepted by the world. I plan to present the government and Knesset with a plan to advance Israel's interests; otherwise we will face most difficult situations."

He said the vote on Sunday was "a tactical victory" for the opponents to the plan with "grave strategic damage done to Israel." And, he added, "If anyone thinks that the result is paralysis and waiting for the days to come, he's wrong. That will not happen. The Likud is a political body that looks forward and it is the largest party in Israel and not one of the marginal parties like Tehiya, which usually don't even manage to survive."

Tehiya was a party formed by Likud MKs who broke away from the party when Menachem Begin brought the peace treaty with Egypt to the Knesset.

"The people of Israel elected us to find a way to quiet, security, peace and improving Israel's economy and that's what I plan to do. There is no other reason for us to be here," he said.

Weisglass gave Rice the bad news

Dov Weisglass, the prime minister's bureau chief and lawyer, called U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice on Sunday night, reporting the poll results and promising that Sharon does not intend to cease efforts for a political initiative.

Britain and the EU, meanwhile, refused to comment directly on the Likud referendum results. A British Foreign Office spokesman did say that London continues to regard the disengagement plan as a step toward implementation of the road map, "but we are not interested in commenting on domestic political developments in Israel." British Prime Minister Tony Blair has been the only European leader so far to express full support for Sharon's plan.

Diplomatic sources said the Europeans were still trying to understand the significance of the Likud vote. In any case, said one diplomatic source, "the European position on disengagement was not unequivocal, and the Europeans are still not sure what Sharon really wants. So they are making do with weak statements of support, with all sorts of conditions and riders."

Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom is due in Dublin on Thursday for the semi-annual meeting of the Barcelona Process, which is meant to strengthen ties between the EU and Mediterranean countries.

The U.S. administration issued a restrained, low-key statement yesterday in the wake of the Likud referendum defeat of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan, as Sharon told his Likud Knesset faction that he will consult with ministers and coalition partners about a new plan to replace the unilateral disengagement program.

"We have been informed of the results of the Likud voting," an official White House statement said yesterday. "Our own view has not changed: The president welcomed Prime Minister Sharon's plan to withdraw settlements from Gaza and part of the West Bank as a courageous and important step toward peace. We will be in consultation with the prime minister and the government of Israel about how to move forward."

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell is meeting with Quartet representatives today in New York for a review of the Israeli-Palestinian crisis. In addition to the referendum defeat, the condition of the road map is also on the agenda. U.S. President George W. Bush has said the disengagement plan fits into the road map. No major decisions are expected at today's session of the Quartet leadership, which has not met since last year. But Powell is expected to seek European support for continuing to advance the idea of the disengagement plan.

The U.S. "still regards the disengagement plan as a rare opportunity for progress," a senior administration official said yesterday. The official, who was meeting with U.S. Jewish activists, said if progress does become possible for the disengagement plan, international aid will be necessary to help the Palestinians after Israel's withdrawal.