Washington - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Friday charged that Hamas is holding the people of Gaza hostage and warned that a ceasefire, to be acceptable, must be "durable."

She said a "durable and sustainable" ceasefire would be one which would not allow Hamas to "continue to launch rockets out of Gaza."

"We're going to continue our work toward a ceasefire that will not allow a return to the status quo ante and that will be durable," Rice told reporterse after briefing US President George W Bush.

Washington, Dec. 30 : The U. S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has urged Pakistan to tackle the situation in the North -West Frontier Province (NWFP), as the Taliban's activities has increased tremendously in the region.

"They have got to get a better handle on what's going on in the Northwest Frontier, because that is the place from which the Taliban is resurgent," The Dawn quoted Rice, as saying.

Rice added that the existence of safe havens in Fata has allowed the resurgence of the Taliban in the region.

Amman  - King Abdullah II of Jordan on Tuesday called US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and urged Washington to take "immediate steps" to stop the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, according to a royal court statement.

"The monarch stressed the need for taking immediate and effective steps to halt the aggression as soon as possible and re-open the crossing points to allow the entry of humanitarian and medical aid to the Gaza Strip," the statement said.

Washington, Dec. 30 : The United States Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice has asked Pakistan President, Asif Ali Zardari to take continuous steps to normalizing relations with India and finding the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks.

Pakistan had banned Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) after the UN red listed it, but it has done little since to not find Pakistan based elements responsible for the Mumbai terror attacks.

Rice told Zardari that Pakistan had taken some positive steps towards improving its relations with India, but these steps were needed to be continuous and both the nations should work together to find the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks, The News reported.

Washington, Dec 29 :With just 23 days left in office, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has seen America dealing with the most challenging times in foreign relations, but she is still `not a type A person' and loves being with family, friends and watching football.

Speaking to CBS' Rita Braver Rice claimed that though the Bush administration might be low in popularity polls, their foreign policy unmoved and unfazed by low public approval ratings.

Lahore, Dec. 23 : US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said that Pakistan must ensure that it deals with the militants harshly and bring them to justice.

Rice urged Pakistan to take every possible step inorder to tackle the problem of terrorism.

"Pakistan really has to do everything it can to bring the perpetrators to justice and then also make sure that they know as much as they possibly can, so they don't have a follow on attack or something," the Daily Times quoted Rice, as saying.