The roadmap -- completed in December by the international diplomatic "quartet" on the Middle East but delayed due to political developments -- will be released in its original form once a Palestinian prime minister is confirmed, Powell said.
"The roadmap will be released to the parties after Mr Abu Mazen is confirmed, it will be the roadmap draft that was finished last December," he told reporters at the State Department's Foreign Press Center.
Powell referred to the Palestinian prime minister-designate, Mahmud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, who is expected to be confirmed by the Palestinian parliament along with his cabinet by next week at the latest.
Earlier Tuesday in Jerusalem, an Israeli official said that US ambassador to Israel, Dan Kurtzer, had told Israel's foreign minister that Washington would take Israeli concerns about the roadmap into serious consideration.
Powell acknowleged that Washington had received a series of initial comments about the draft from Israel and expected to hear more from the Jewish state once the roadmap is released.
At that point, Powell said the United States would also be seeking comments from the new Palestinian government but he stressed that the roadmap would not be changed in response to reactions from either side.
"These are comments that will come in, they will be considered by the quartet, but really these are comments that both sides have to begin to discuss with each other and share with each other," he said.
The quartet groups the United States, the European Union (news - web sites), the United Nations (news - web sites) and Russia and Israel has outlined 15 security reservations about the roadmap which calls for a Palestinian state to be created alongside a secure Israel by 2005.
Israel wants all Palestinian attacks to cease and for strict conditions to be imposed on Palestinian compliance with each stage of the phased plan before moving on to the next step to Palestinian statehood.
The Palestinians want the plan implemented without any changes.
Israel also wants to avoid any immediate pullback from Palestinian territories or a freeze on Jewish settlement growth in occupied areas, as set out in the plan.
Israeli public television said Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites)'s special envoy in Washington had obtained a US agreement on the point but Powell insisted that the settlement freeze was non-negotiable.
"An essential part of the roadmap will be to deal with the issue of settlements," Powell said. "We understand that and we know that the Israeli government understands that."
Powell said he believed there was a "real chance" for progress on peace efforts given the new dynamic created by the new Palestinian government, a newly elected Israeli government and US military success in toppling Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein (news - web sites).
"This is going to be a very difficult process but I believe progress can be made if both sides enter this roadmap process with an understanding of the needs of the other side and with a good faith effort," he said.
"We have a new opportunity, an opporutinity I think that is enhanced by the removal of the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein."
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