US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is to urge Israel to press ahead with the Gaza withdrawal, which she has said is the region's best chance for peace.

She will meet Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Sunday.

"There is no more time to simply put problems on the agenda," Ms Rice said on Saturday, after talks with the Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas.

Mr Sharon and Mr Abbas meet next week to discuss co-ordinating Israel's plans to pull out of the Gaza Strip.

Israel fears its withdrawal from the territory could create a security vacuum that will be filled by Palestinian militant groups such as Hamas.

Ms Rice, who is touring the Middle East, is expected to tell Mr Sharon he must work closely with the Palestinian leadership to make sure this does not happen.

Talks with Israel

Next week's meeting between the Israeli and Palestinian leaders is the first since the two men agreed to enforce an informal truce in February.

Intermittent violence has punctuated the peace several times since then, with both sides blaming each other for violating the agreement.

Late on Saturday, Ms Rice met Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz to urge him to release more Palestinian prisoners - a key part of February's agreement.

According to Israeli military radio, Ms Rice also pressed Israel to take "substantial" measures to improve the lives of Palestinians.

Sunday will see her hold talks with Prime Minister Sharon, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and Shimon Peres, the deputy premier.

According to an Israeli diplomat quoted by the Reuters news agency, she is expected to condemn the militant Palestinian group Hamas when she meets Mr Sharon on Sunday.

'Best bet for peace'

During Saturday's talks, Ms Rice sought assurances from Mr Abbas that Palestinian security forces are prepared to take charge in Gaza after the Israeli withdrawal.

She praised Mr Abbas' efforts to restore order and bring about peace since he became leader earlier this year, succeeding Yasser Arafat, with whom Israel had refused to negotiate.

Ms Rice said that the withdrawal represented the best chance for re-energising the stalled roadmap peace plan.

The internationally backed roadmap, which was adopted in 2003, calls for the creation of a Palestinian state by the end of the year.

Ms Rice will later travel to Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan to discuss democratic reforms.

 PHOTO CAPTION

Palestinian Authority President Abbas (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Sharon