US National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice said on Monday that President George W. Bush still supports a two-state solution to Israel-Palestine conflicts under the Road Map peace plan.

Israel's plan to pull out of the Gaza Strip was a political breakthrough, Rice told reporters after meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei in Berlin.

Rice said she urged Palestinians to pursue their responsibilities under the Road Map. "It's just extremely important at this point that the Palestinians begin the hard work of building the institutions that will be the foundations for a Palestinian state," she said.

Qurei said an organized Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip "must be welcomed" as long as it was within the framework of the Middle East Road Map. He urged a swift return to peace talks between the two sides.

On Saturday, US Secretary of State Colin Powell urged Qurei in Jordan to "seize the opportunity" of Israel's disengagement plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip. "Time is running out on PresidentGeorge W. Bush's pledge to create a Palestinian state in 2005," Powell said.

Source: Xinhua