( dpa )- The Palestinian leadership late Saturday called off the talks it has been holding with Israel on the Middle East peace process, the Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed.
Spokesman Arye Mekel said Palestinian chief negotiator Ahmed Qureia informed Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni of the decision. Mekel said Israel hoped the talks would soon resume.
Israeli and Palestinian experts in various fields met for the first time last Sunday to begin talks between the two sides on "non- core issues" including civil, economic and judicial issues.
Livni and Qureia had already been holding regular meetings to discuss core issues, including final borders, the status of Jerusalem and the Palestinian refugees and their descendants.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert have been holding bi-weekly meetings since they relaunched peace talks at the Annapolis conference last year.