Palestinians doubt progress will be made by Albright's visit

A Palestinian Authority official said that it was not expected that the Middle East visit of US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will make much headway in putting an end to the crisis prevailing in the area.

PLO peace negotiator Saeb Erekat told reporters that it would be highly unlikely Albright will be able to erase the damage inflicted upon the peace process as a result of the actions taken by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a single visit.

Erekat called upon Washington to put a stop to Netanyahu's actions before it is too late. These actions have diminished the trust between the two parties in question. He added that the Israeli Prime Minister should halt the additional Jewish settlements, and adhere to the agreement signed in 1993.