US Secretary of State Colin Powell has said it is "time to get started" in implementing the road map for peace. "There is enough agreement on the road map that we can get started," Powell told a news conference after meeting Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom. The Palestinians have accepted the "road map", evisaging a Palestinian state by 2005. Israel has reservations about the plan, saying it wants to see a Palestinian crackdown on militants before relaxing its military grip. At the news conference, Shalom said: "This new Palestinian leadership will have to take measures against the extreme organisations that are still planning to implement terror against Israelis. "If they will do it, it will be easier for us to make more gestures towards the Palestinians." Shalom repeated that Israel was prepared to hold talks with the new Palestinian leadership headed by Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas. The Palestinian Authority and U.S. officials in Jerusalem decided Saturday to move Powell's talks with Abbas and Dahlan from Ramallah, site of the Palestinian headquarters, to Jericho. The move was to avoid expected demonstrations against Powell's visit by members of authority Chairman Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement. The Bush administration has tried to marginalize Arafat, and the longtime Palestinian leader will not participate in the meeting. Asked if he had requested that Arafat stay away, Powell snapped: "Yes. I won't meet with Mr. Arafat." Powell also plans meetings this week with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher, Jordan's King Abdullah II and Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. The secretary then goes to Moscow for talks Wednesday with President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov. **PHOTO CAPTION*** US Secretary of State Colin Powell during the press conference at the David Citadel Hotel in Jerusalem Saturday, May 10, 2003 after a meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom.