The White House said on Tuesday that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would like to go to the Middle East to promote peace but she has not decided when to do so.

"The secretary's going to go, but she's not even sure when. I think I'm going to kick the can down the road a little bit," White House spokesman Tony Snow said at a briefing.

"When they figure out when they're going to do it, we'll be in a better position to announce precisely what it is she wants to do, " Snow said.

The State Department said on Monday that Rice would travel to the Middle East to seek to promote peace and calm violence in the region.

The United States has defended Israel's military action against the Lebanese Hezbollah by claiming that Israel has the right to defend itself against terrorist attacks.

Meanwhile, the United States has also urged Israel to avoid civilian casualties and infrastructure damage.

Source: Xinhua