WASHINGTON, June 13 (Xinhuanet) -- US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will make a trip to the Middle East and Europe starting on Friday, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack saidat a briefing on Monday.

    Rice will visit Ramallah, Jerusalem, Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. She will then visit Brussels on June 22 for an international meeting on Iraq and then go to London for a ministerial meeting ahead of the Group of Eight summit in Scotland.Rice will return to Washington on June 23, McCormack said.

    "She is going to talk about Gaza withdrawal both with the Israelis as well as the Palestinian authority. The August date which is the planned beginning of the Gaza withdrawal is coming upon us, and we think it is important that all sides make a maximum effort to have this withdrawal be a success," McCormack said.

    Rice's visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories comes just days before a second summit between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon slated for June 21. Enditem