Efforts are being made to revive the Middle East peace talks at Camp David, after they appeared to have broken down without agreement earlier today. The Palestinian President, Yasser Arafat, and the Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Barak, have decided to remain in the United States for the time being.
Earlier, the White House had announced that no agreement had been reached and that President Clinton was leaving for the G8 economic summit in Japan. It has since emerged that Mr Clinton has asked both delegations to continue their discussions while he is away.
The last few hours have been something of an emotional roller coaster for negotiators at Camp David. President Clinton had spent the night shuttling between the Israelis and Palestinians, trying to find a solution to the biggest sticking point - the status of Jerusalem. It seemed all hope was lost when, shortly before four o'clock in the morning, White House officials released a statement saying that the talks had were over and there was no deal.
Reporters were told that President Clinton would make a brief statement before leaving for Japan. However, by the time he arrived at the press centre, there was news of a dramatic last minute reprieve. President Clinton confirmed that, in his absence, the Israelis and Palestinians had agreed to stay at Camp David and continue the talks under the supervision of US Secretary of State, Madeline Albright. The President said that nobody wanted to give up, but he also emphasised the remaining differences between the two sides. He said that everybody must now be prepared to go the extra mile.
