Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday afternoon there was some progress made in talks with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert towards the planned Annapolis, Maryland conference. Abbas said he agreed with Prime Minister Olmert that "there is an opportunity at hand" but did not agree with his refusal to meet PA demands.
Secretary Rice told a joint press conference after meeting with Abbas that she hopes both sides can "achieve their goals within the time remaining to the Bush administration." She did not comment on the PA demands that Israel meet a deadline for the establishing of a new Arab state, a move that Israel has rejected and which has been one of the main sticking points preventing an official announcement and date for the conference.