Olmert says Palestinian statehood talks to start soon

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Monday formal negotiations on Palestinian statehood would begin soon after a U.S.-sponsored conference but cautioned there were significant hurdles ahead.

"Certainly in a very short time we will have to sit down ... and there will be more meetings between the teams on both sides," Olmert told reporters, without giving any specific dates. "We are entering a process that has infinite bumps in the road but we want to move forward."

(Reporting by Jeffrey Heller; Editing by Adam Entous and David Storey)