Palestinian and Israeli negotiators failed to reach an agreement
setting out the contours of future negotiations, a top Palestinian
official said Monday after the talks held at the U.S. State
Department.
"There is still work to be done, and efforts have been made, but
so far we have not reached an agreement," chief Palestinian
negotiator Ahmad Qorei said.
Qorei made the remarks after his talks with Israeli Foreign
Minister Tzipi Livni with the presence of U.S. Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice. Rice met with both Qorei and Livni in an effort
to reach an agreement between the two sides.
Palestinian officials have hinted that they might be able to
reach an agreement with the Israeli side before the formal opening
of the Middle East peace conference due on Tuesday.
Nearly 50 countries and international organizations will attend
the Middle East peace conference due to take place in Annapolis,
Maryland. However, analysts have expressed pessimism over the
prospect of the peace conference as the Israelis and Palestinians
fail to narrow their differences.
(Xinhua News Agency November 27, 2007)
