US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ended three days of talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders yesterday with no visible sign of progress on breaking a deadlock over building in West Bank settlements.

Attorney General Meni Mazuz is expected to notify Ehud Olmert today that he will continue to serve as acting prime minister through Israel’s elections, the Justice Ministry said, as Israeli leader Ariel Sharon remained in a coma.

A test has shown activity in both lobes of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s brain, but he remains comatose and in critical but stable condition, Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem said today.