The Palestinians have said no meaningful talks with Israel are possible until it makes clear how it intends to pursue the peace process in the coming months.

A senior Palestinian negotiator, Sa'eb Erekat, interviewed by the BBC following last week's breakdown in negotiations, said his side had put a number of important questions to the Israelis and was still awaiting their reply.

One question was whether Israel intended carrying out its next troop withdrawal without consultation -- the Israelis have omitted from their plans areas close to Jerusalem which the Palestinians are demanding.

Another was whether Israel wanted to continue negotiations on the outline of a final settlement beyond next Sunday's deadline, or simply move on to a final accord. However, the BBC Jerusalem correspondent says there's little sign the Israelis will take the Palestinians' concerns on board -- or that the Americans will pressure them to do so.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service