US Middle East Envoy Dennis Ross told Palestinian negotiators Friday that President Bill Clinton will not convene a second summit unless there is a real chance it will produce a peace treaty, reported The Associated Press.
Ross did not deliver new proposals in his two-hour meeting with the Palestinians, said top Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat.
Palestinian officials had said earlier they expected to hear new American ideas on how to resolve the two most difficult disputes, over control of Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees.
Ross also held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and was expected to meet with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on Sunday.
Barak and Arafat on Friday accused each other of intransigence.
Barak said there is no point in holding another summit as long as Arafat remains inflexible.
Arafat, who was in Japan blamed Barak for the breakdown of last month's Camp David summit and warned that there would be an "explosion" in the Middle East if negotiations failed altogether, said the AP.
In his meeting with Barak, Ross "emphasized the time factor and said there was only a very narrow window of opportunity," Barak's office said in a statement.
Barak's office said Clinton would meet with the Israeli and Palestinian leaders separately when they attend the UN Millennium Summit in New York in early September.
Meanwhile, a Palestinian official said that Ross was to fly on Saturday to Egypt, which in recent days has taken on a more active role as a mediator - Albawaba.com
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