Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has announced that Palestinian National Authority elections will be held in January next year. But he did not give an exact date.

The elections were originally supposed to take place in July, but the Israeli plan to withdraw from Gaza prompted a delay.

Abbas appealed to Palestinians to ensure calm during Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, saying an orderly transfer of power would help the Palestinian cause of independence.

He urged militants to honor the ceasefire with Israel that has been broken by both sides.

Abbas also warned against looting, saying abandoned land is for all the Palestinian people, and urged against "excessive celebrations."

Meanwhile Israel and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) agreed on Tuesday to demolish houses in Gaza settlements to be evacuated under the disengagement plan.

According to the plan, an international body, probably the World Bank, will oversee the demolition. But Israel will pay to the World Bank the money that will cover the costs of removing the rubble.

The meeting was attended by Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, Palestinian Minister of Civil Affairs Mohammed Dahlan, and James Wolfensohn, envoy of the Mideast quartet grouping the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and Russia.

Israel expects the Palestinians to give their final positive response to the agreement on Wednesday, while Dahlan is expected to update PNA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas with details of the plan.

The plan still has to wait for final approval by both sides.

Wolfensohn will leave for Washington to present the plan to US officials.

During a recent visit to the region, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said both sides had agreed that the houses would be razed.

Israel and the PNA were formulating a mechanism to determine how it would be done and which side would be responsible for clearing the rubble, she said.

(CCTV.com, Xinhua News Agency August 10, 2005)