Scheduled talks between US President Bill Clinton and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak were delayed Monday as the sides tried to hammer out an agenda for the Middle East summit scheduled to start in SHarm el-Sheikh later in the day, an Israeli official told AFP Monday.
Disagreement over the agenda also delayed the opening of the summit Egyptian officials had hoped would begin at 12:00 noon (1000 GMT), but Nanda Chitre, a White House spokeswoman, said there was "no set time for the start of the summit.
The leaders are "making it up as they go along," sdhe said.
"There are difficulties with arriving at an agreement on the agenda," explained the Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "It's just a question of time. The postponement is for the sides to resolve the issue."
The summit is expected to follow a flurry of bilateral meetings between Clinton, Barak, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, King Abdullah II of Jordan and UN chief Kofi Annan -- SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AFP)
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