Israeli and Palestinian leaders made new efforts on Monday toward preparing a joint statement before an international peace gathering planned for next week, but some issues have yet to be resolved, Israeli and Palestinian officials said.
The Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, and the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, met at the prime minister’s residence here to try to salvage efforts to agree on a short written text.
The statement would be presented at the American-sponsored gathering tentatively scheduled for Nov. 26 and 27 in Annapolis, Md.
Miri Eisin, a spokeswoman for Mr. Olmert, said after the meeting that there appeared to be progress and “enough agreement on enough issues” to avert any sense of crisis.
Saeb Erekat, a Palestinian negotiator, said the leaders had exchanged new proposals. “Are there differences remaining? Yes,” he said. Aides from both sides said the negotiating teams planned to continue working.
Israeli officials say they envision a statement that would frame the core issues — including security arrangements, borders, the status of Jerusalem and the fate of the Palestinian refugees — without spelling out solutions. The Palestinian side had wanted a more detailed document.
The meeting was accompanied by Israeli and international gestures intended to create a positive environment for Annapolis and to draw broad Arab support. The Israeli government approved the release of almost 450 Palestinian prisoners, and Mr. Olmert reiterated an Israeli commitment not to build new Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
The number of prisoners to be released falls short of the 2,000 that Palestinian officials had sought.
Mr. Olmert’s remarks on the settlements were not a commitment to freeze all settlement activity, including natural growth, as stipulated in the 2003 plan known as the road map for peace.
“Either it’s a 100 percent settlement freeze or no settlement freeze,” Mr. Erekat said.
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