The Americans are just hoping to stop the bloodshed

"We are in the midst of very delicate discussions. They are still continuing, which means there are points of difference that must be ironed out." Egyptian Government spokesman Nabil Osman

"The summit is to liquidate the Palestinian intifadah and to force the Palestinians to surrender to Israeli and American demands." Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin

"Without these two conditions (unconditional Israeli pullbacks and lifting military closures) there won't be agreement and we cannot sit down and draft an understanding." - Yasser Abed Rabbo, Palestinian Information Minister

"If necessary, we will work all night, all morning and until lunchtime tomorrow to try to bridge the gaps." Gadi Baltiansky, spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak

"The Americans have begun to understand the need for an unconditional (Israeli) withdrawal and an end to hostilities." Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qurei

"You murderers! You have taken the whole Palestinian people hostage. This is unacceptable!" Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat to US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Israeli acting Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami

Barak was planning to "work all night to bridge the gaps"

"What you have to know is that this is a deliberate tactic of the Palestinian dictatorship practised by Arafat. He sends them (children onto the frontline) so that they are killed or injured in front of and for the cameras." Former Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu

"There is some movement, but they still have to finalise some elements. They haven't lost hope." Javier Solana, the European Union's top diplomat

"There is no agreement on the commission of inquiry and on the Palestinian demand to withdraw Israeli forces." Alon Pinkas, Israeli foreign ministry official

"This is a state of mind of an occupier in no way conducive to making this summit a success, I'm afraid. With this venomous attitude, this conference will fail." Palestinian International Co-operation Minister Nabil Shaath