Tom, Katie settlement private - lawyer

Los Angeles - Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have reached a "private" divorce settlement less than two weeks after the actress announced their split, a lawyer and publicists for the couple said Monday.

At the same time the Hollywood pair issued a joint statement saying they were committed to protecting their 6-year-old daughter Suri.

"The case has been settled and the agreement has been signed. We are thrilled for Katie and her family and are excited to watch as she embarks on the next chapter of her life," her lawyer Jonathan Wolfe said.

"We thank Tom's counsel for their professionalism and diligence that helped bring about this speedy resolution," he added in a statement, giving no further details of the settlement terms.

Holmes and Cruise's joint statement stressed their desire to protect their daughter.

"We are committed to working together as parents to accomplish what is in our daughter Suri's best interests," they said in the statement sent to AFP.

"We want to keep matters affecting our family private and express our respect for each other's commitment to each of our respective beliefs and support each other's roles as parents," they added.

Asked about the terms of the settlement, Lundberg reiterated: "They are private."

Holmes announced on 29 June that she was filing for divorce to end the star couple's five-year-old marriage, apparently taking Cruise by surprise.

Speculation over the cause of the split has focused on Holmes' reported concern that Cruise wanted their daughter to be immersed more deeply in the Church of Scientology, of which he is a prominent member.