Olmert says Israel won't stop building in Jewish parts of east J'lem

JERUSALEM, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday that building in Jewish neighborhoods in east Jerusalem and in the major settlement blocs will continue as they remain under Israeli sovereignty in any agreement reached with the Palestinians.

Olmert made the remarks after a meeting with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who started Saturday a three-day visit to the Middle East, adding that he remained committed to reaching a deal with the Palestinians by the year end, local daily Jerusalem Post reported.

The prime minister told Rice he viewed the Bush administration as an "important strategic partner" in its commitments to the peace process in accordance with the road map peace plan and the conclusions reached at the Annapolis conference.

Earlier this month, Olmert had said that Israel would continue to build homes in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Har Homa.

During a joint press conference with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel on March 17, Olmert called Har Homa an "inseparable" part of Jerusalem and said that construction would proceed, adding that Israel had stopped building in Judea and Samaria and would not expropriate land there.

Israel's plan to build hundreds of new apartments in Har Homa has drawn harsh criticism from the Palestinian side and the international community, including Israel's strong ally the United States.

The U.S. has said such construction is unhelpful to peace efforts, and the Palestinian side has accused Israel of undermining peace talks.