Abbas signs international conventions; Kerry cancels visit

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signed more than a dozen international conventions on Tuesday, citing anger at Israel's delay of a prisoner release.

...A move that further jeopardizes peace talks.

(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT, MAHMOUD ABBAS, SAYING:

"The leadership agreed totally on signing a number of the (international) agreements or organizations or conventions, which are around 12 conventions, and now I will sign them."

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry immediately announced that he was cancelling a trip to the region on Wednesday.

...A trip that Washington had hoped would result in a three-way deal aimed at extending the negotiations into 2015.

But Kerry insisted Abbas had agreed to keep his promise to continue negotiating:

(SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KERRY, SAYING:

"Let me make it absolutely clear, none of the agencies that President Abbas signed tonight involve the U.N. -none of them. And P