Clinton and his inner circle are focusing on a plan that would acknowledge a specific type of sexual behavior while maintaining Clinton told the truth when he testified in January that he never had "sexual relations" with Lewinsky, unnamed senior advisers told the daily.

According to the strategy under discussion, Clinton would say he based his previous denial on a definition of sex approved by the judge in the Jones case, which Clinton's advisers believe does not cover oral sex.

The strategy discussions are ongoing and Clinton has not settled on any approach yet, the sources stressed.

Clinton on Monday is due to testify before a grand jury investigating Clinton's relationship with Lewinsky and whether he urged her to lie under oath about their allegedaffair.

Lewinsky and Clinton have both denied a sexual relationship in sworn testimony in the now-dismissed Paula Jones sexual harassment lawsuit against the President.

Since the current sex-and-perjury scandal broke in January, Clinton has also publicly denied any affair with Lewinsky, whom he described on one occasion as "that woman."

While Clinton's advisers admit that an acknowledgment of some kind of sexual counter is very risky for Clinton, they believe that telling anything less than the truth to the grand jury would be worse.

The sources said that there also was a consensus that Clinton should address the public immediately after his testimony -- which he will give from a room in the White House and not in person.

The feeling is that Clinton's testimony will be leaked to the public in any case and that he should therefore portray it from his point of view.

Meanwhile, a dress Lewinsky claims bears evidence of a sexual encounter with the US President is being examined for DNA traces, CNNsaid.