JERUSALEM, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- The Palestinian Authority withdrew its support Sunday for joint Israeli-Palestinian documents to be presented at upcoming peace talks in the United States.
The move signals further deterioration of the already speculative meetings scheduled for late November or early December in Annapolis, Md.
"At present time, we don't have a joint statement or even a draft for one," an unnamed Israeli diplomat was quoted as saying Sunday on the news Web site Ynetnews. "The Palestinians have backpedaled to square one, to the first day of negotiations."
The stalemate, however, did not signal a serious crisis in the eyes of Israeli officials.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner the mood was positive for the talks and stated the very scheduling of the meeting signals development in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"Annapolis cannot be a failure because its very existence constitutes a success," the prime minister said in Haaretz Sunday. "We are talking about the launching of negotiations that have not been held for seven years, in the presence of dozens of countries before the entire world."
