Palestinian negotiators blocked at Israeli checkpoint

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's negotiators said they were stopped at an Israeli checkpoint, prompting them to call off talks on Sunday ahead of the Annapolis peace conference.

Palestinian officials said chief negotiator Ahmed Qureia and other members of the negotiating team were delayed by Israeli soldiers near Jerusalem while on their way to meet their Israeli counterparts to try to draft a joint statement ahead the summit. "We cannot carry out negotiations like this," Qureia said. An aide said Qureia informed Israel that he wanted to move the talks to another country. Israeli officials had no immediate comment. (Reuters)