According to Omedia, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday that he is not sure he will be able to reach an agreement on “basic principles” with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas by November.  United States President George Bush is planning an international peace conference in November, and Abbas has warned that the conference will fail if Israel and the PA have not agreed on a timetable for the creation of a PA state.

Olmert said that he hoped for an agreement with Abbas “in the near future,” and that the two sides would agree to a timetable if possible.  However, he said, it might not be possible to reach an agreement so quickly.