More Mideast talks planned for today

WEB EXCLUSIVE On the scene with Christiane Amanpour in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt

WEB EXCLUSIVE On the scene with CNN's Rula Amin in Gaza City, Gaza

Some differences have narrowed, U.S. official says

In this story: 'There is no failure' Violence starts over holy site Key issues in dispute Skepticism over talks, fresh clashes RELATED STORIES, SITES

CNN Correspondents Christiane Amanpour, Walter Rodgers, Jerrold Kessel and Rula Amin contributed to this report.

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (CNN) -- Talks to craft a Mideast cease-fire are expected to continue today, after marathon discussions mediated by U.S. President Bill Clinton were adjourned after midnight without an agreement.

Progress was reported in more than 15 hours of peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian officials, but no breakthrough was achieved on key issues. Clinton had a final, one-hour and 45 minute meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and then headed to bed.

The talks had produced a narrowing of differences, but there remained "a lot of moving pieces," said a senior U.S. administration official close to the discussions.

GALLERY Turmoil surrounds first day of Middle East summit (Oct. 16)     ALSO Gaza flash point could become focus of proposed inquiry Violence rages in West Bank as summit opens     RESOURCES Mideast struggle for peace     AUDIO President Clinton comments on the expectations of the summit in Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday 1.3 MB/1 min. AIFF or WAV sound Barak advisor Danny Yatom comments on the status of the talks 334K/15 sec. AIFF or WAV sound Israeli Negotiator Oded Eran and Palestinian observer to the U.N. Nasser Al-Kidwa comment on the summit's goals 469K/44 sec. (Eran) AIFF or WAV sound 852K/39 sec. (Al-Kidwa) AIFF or WAV sound U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the importance of the summit 686K/31 sec. AIFF or WAV sound Egyptian foreign minister Amr Moussa says Israel should withdraw from Palestinian territory 618K/29 sec. AIFF or WAV sound    VIDEO CNN's John King reports from Egypt with the day's events (October 16) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) CNN's Walter Rodgers reports from Egypt with the events of the summit Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Clinton opened the summit by calling for both sides to come to terms and end the violence (October 16) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) CNN's Richard Blystone shows a town in the Golan that Syria says is a symbol of years of Israel's heavy hand (October 16) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Both Arabs and Jews live in Ramallah. And both tell CNN's Jerrold Kessel they won't leave (October 16) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza demonstrated against the summit (October 16) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Israeli analyst Chemi Shalev talks about the summit (October 16) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) CNN's Walter Rodgers reports on why many believe that failure is not an option (October 16) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Palestinian analyst Ghassan Khatib talks about the summit (October 16) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

The Barak meeting came after a 45-minute after-dinner conversation between Clinton, Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

In all, Clinton met four times with Barak from the beginning of the summit Monday morning through 3:45 a.m. Tuesday local time, when the final session broke off.

Clinton met three times with Arafat, and U.S. officials said a visit with the Palestinian leader was likely early Tuesday.

A senior U.S. official said CIA Director George Tenet was trying to craft a compromise on security issues related to any cease-fire language.

As Clinton dealt directly with both leaders, special Mideast envoy Dennis Ross was shuttling back and forth among the delegations, trying to resolve other issues in a proposed communique on a cease-fire.

"Are we close? No," the senior official said. "Are we making progress? Yes."

"This is a maze, and we are slowly making our way. But there are no guarantees here," the official added.

Clinton indefinitely postponed plans to return to Washington so he could continue with the talks, said an aide.

Arafat and Barak had not met earlier Monday in face-to-face talks, leaving Clinton the task of shuttling between both leaders.

The two sides are attempting to end nearly three weeks of deadly clashes in troubled parts of the West Bank and Gaza that have claimed more than 100 deaths, mostly Palestinians.

The violence has put Israeli-Palestinian peace talks on hold and heightened tensions in the region.

'There is no failure'

When the talks stalled earlier Monday, Barak advisor Danny Yatom said: "There is no failure, even though the level of expectation is very low."

Mubarak hosted a dinner for all the leaders. Earlier, Clinton had urged both parties to "move beyond blame" and end the violent confrontations.

"It is hard to say whether real progress is being made," said a senior U.S. official close to the talks. "It will take a little more back and forth to see if they can do any real business."

This source said a separate round of meetings involving foreign ministers was at times "angry and contentious." But the source said the talks at this level were "viewed more as a venting session," and that the top-level meetings were viewed as far more critical.

During the afternoon session among foreign ministers, the Israelis and Palestinians were said to have been shouting at each other over who was responsible for starting the new cycle of bloodshed.

Violence starts over holy site

The current round of violence broke out after Israeli right-wing Likud party leader Ariel Sharon's visit on September 28 to the contested Temple Mount, or Noble Sanctuary.

Temple Mount is home to Judaism's holiest site, the Western Wall of the biblical Temple, and two mosques -- Al Aqsa and Dome of the Rock -- that mark the spot where tradition has it that the Prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven.

Control of the holy site in east Jerusalem is a major obstacle to a final-status Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement.

Key issues in dispute

Foreign ministers were attempting to hammer out language for a cease-fire, but Palestinian sources said the Israelis were rejecting a draft proposal they had put forward. The Palestinians want Israeli forces to pull back from flashpoint areas before any agreement to a cease-fire, but Israelis say they will not pull back until a cease-fire is reached.

In addition, both sides are at an impasse over the make-up of an international commission to investigate the causes of the violence.

After several hours of talk, the ministers recessed their meeting, unable to resolve differences.

Barak and Arafat were sitting around a large table as Mubarak opened the summit, saying the goal of the meeting was to "bring back peace and hope."

Clinton said the parties should try to reach agreements on three goals: End the violence and restore security cooperation; create an "objective and fair fact-finding process" on how the violence started; and determine how to avoid another such flare-up.

Clinton said the summit could not "afford to fail" and should return both sides to the final-status peace process started at Camp David, Maryland, in the summer.

"In order to succeed, though we have a situation piled high with grievance, we have got to move beyond blame," Clinton said. "We have got to focus on what we are going to do tomorrow and the next day and the next day. We have to have a balanced, mutual disengagement."

Also attending the summit were U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Jordan's King Abdullah and Javier Solana, the European Union's representative.

But faces were grim, emotions high, and expectations low.

Barak says he expects Arafat to rearrest Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other militants released from Palestinian jails. He was also pushing for a declaration from Arafat to renounce violence in the future.

A Hamas leader said that 34 Hamas and Islamic Jihad activists out of about 350 released had been rearrested by Palestinian authorities in recent days.

One of the few things the two leaders agreed on is that neither wanted to be blamed for the failure of the summit or for the failure not to resume peace talks down the line.

Skepticism over talks, fresh clashes

Both Arafat and Barak left communities at home that were uneasy and skeptical.

Barak has asked the Likud, which opposes the policy of exchanging land for peace, to join in a national emergency government. Likud leaders said they would wait until after the summit. Sharon said the meeting will be important if a cease-fire can be arranged, but he warned Barak, "Don't make any concessions."

At the Khan Younis refugee camp in Gaza, militants demonstrated and called for Arafat to come home, saying the purpose of the summit was only to undermine Arafat's support among the Palestinians.

Masked gunmen marched in Gaza calling for Arafat to stand firm.

There were fresh clashes on the West Bank and Gaza just as the summit got under way. A Palestinian policeman was killed in Gaza near the Egyptian border, a 14-year-old boy was shot in the head in the West Bank and left brain dead and another 40 people were wounded.

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October 13, 2000
Annan claims breakthrough in Mideast diplomacy
October 11, 2000
U.N. leader improves hopes for resolving Mideast crisis
October 10, 2000
Barak lifts deadline on Palestinians; says he'll attend U.S.-hosted summit if called
October 9, 2000

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