U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice gestures during a news conference in Jerusalem June 19, 2005. Israel and the Palestinian Authority have agreed that Jewish settler homes in the Gaza Strip will be destroyed as part of the Israeli pullout from the area, Rice said on Sunday. (Reuters Photo)

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice shake hands before holding their meeting in the prime minister's Jerusalem offices. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

  ¡¡JERUSALEM, June 19 (Xinhuanet) -- Visiting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Sunday that Israel and the Palestinian side have agreed to remove homes of settlers in the Gaza Strip after a planned pullout.

    "Israel and the Palestinian (National) Authority agree that the settler homes in Gaza should be removed. Therefore, the parties will work toward a plan for destruction and cleanup," Rice told reporters after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in Jerusalem.

    The Palestinian side has said it prefers the pulling down of the settlers' homes, usually of one or two storeys, so that high-rise apartment buildings can be set up to accommodate the rising Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip which currently stands at 1.3 million.

    In addition, Rice said Israel and the Palestinians have also agreed to ensure a peaceful Israeli pullout from Gaza and the northern West Bank.

    "Israel and the Palestinian (National) Authority recognized the withdrawal must proceed peacefully and without violence," she said.

    "Both Israel and the Palestinian (National) Authority will take the necessary actions and will coordinate such actions where appropriate to ensure a peaceful disengagement and economic viability and hope for the Palestinian people," she added.

    As for the Palestinian demands to reopen Gaza's airport and set up a safe passage for free movement of people and goods between Gaza and the West Bank, Rice said Israel would evaluate the way it manages the airport and crossings in consistency with its security concerns.

    Israeli Prime Minister Sharon, on his part, re-stressed the necessity for the Palestinian leadership to clamp down on militant groups.

    Rice began a Mideast tour on Saturday to boost coordination between the Palestinians and Israel over the Israeli withdrawal from all 21 settlements in Gaza and four of 120 in the West Bank due to begin in mid August.

    The top US diplomat held talks with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and other senior Palestinian officials in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Saturday.

    Her visit came shortly before a summit between Abbas and Sharon slated for Tuesday. Enditem