RAMALLAH, West Bank, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's negotiators said they were stopped at an Israeli checkpoint, prompting them to call off talks on Sunday ahead of a U.S.-led conference on Palestinian statehood.

Palestinian officials said chief negotiator Ahmed Qurie and other members of the negotiating team were stopped by Israeli soldiers near Jerusalem while on their way to meet their Israeli counterparts to try to draft a joint statement ahead of the Annapolis, Maryland conference expected in late November.

"We cannot carry out negotiations like this," Qurie said. An aide said Qurie informed Israel that he wanted to move the talks to another country.

Israeli officials had no immediate comment. (Editing by Sami Aboudi)

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