Rice calls for Palestinian-Israeli calm

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has called for Palestinian-Israeli calm and praised Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf during their meeting in Islamabad on Tuesday.

According to the BBC, while en route to Pakistan US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said of the tense situation in Israel, "There really needs to be an effort now to try and calm the situation."

"Give diplomacy a chance," she urged the two countries, which are deadlocked over a dispute regarding a 19-year-old soldier who was seized by militants on Sunday.

Palestine face a large scale military offensive if the soldier, Cpl Shalit, is not released unharmed soon.

Israeli tanks and troops stand ready at the border of Gaza waiting for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to give the go ahead.

While in Islamabad, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice praised Pakistan's military leader, who has pledged to hold democratic elections next year, adding that she expects him to fulfill the promise.

Speaking at a news conference that occurred aboard her plane, the US Secretary of State said: "Pakistan has come an enormously long way in a period of four years."

"We are fortunate there too that you have a leadership that is committed to putting Pakistan on a course toward moderation rather than a course toward extremism," she added.