Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and French Foreign Minister Dr. Bernard Kouchner ended discussions on the planned Annapolis, Maryland conference early Sunday afternoon. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that the fact that the conference will take place is a success because it will be the basis for negotiations that he said have not taken place in several years.

He did not refer to previous summits, such as a conference in Sharm el-Sheikh almost three years ago. The visiting Foreign Minister, who plans to attend the meeting in Annapolis, Maryland, also said that the meeting will be a sign of progress in negotiations between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel.