Israel lifted the closure on the West Bank and Gaza Strip Saturday night, in the midst of talks with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell on the "road map" to Middle East peace, Israel Radio reported.

Powell, who arrived in Israel on Saturday evening, said Saturday that there was sufficient common ground between the Israelis and Palestinians to begin implementing the road map, and will meet Sunday with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his newly-appointed Palestinian counterpart, Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen).

"There is enough agreement on the road map that we can get started," said Powell after meeting with Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom Saturday. Powell is also planning to meet separately with President Moshe Katsav and Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz Sunday ahead of his meeting with Sharon.

Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz decided Saturday night to lift the full closure on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip as of 2 A.M. Sunday, allowing Palestinian workers to enter Israel Sunday morning. The closure has been in place intermittently since mid-March, before the Purim holiday.

However, security sources told Israel Radio that they are continuing to receive warnings of terror attacks and that they are remaining on alert.

Sharon is expected to present Powell Sunday with a list of measures Israel will undertake to ease restrictions on the Palestinians, a move the secretary of state wants in order to aid the newly-appointed Palestinian prime minister in taking office.

The measures include releasing several dozen Palestinian prisoners in administrative detention, making it easier to bring merchandise into and out of Palestinian Authority territory and widening the fishing areas in the Gaza Strip, Israel Radio reported Saturday.

Powell: Right of return shouldn't hold up road map

Powell said Saturday that a discussion on the right of return for Palestinians to Israel was a matter that should not hold up the implementation of the road map, and was an issue that would be discussed between the two sides "in due course."

Jerusalem has long demanded that the Palestinians forgo the right of return for refugees, in exchange for the creation of a Palestinian state with provisional borders - something which is mentioned in the second phase of the road map.

The secretary of state called for an end to terrorism, and expressed the need to prevent organizations that have conducted terror activities from continuing to do so. These groups cannot be allowed to continue to constitute a threat to Israel, he said.

Shalom also expressed concerns over militant groups operating in the Palestinian territories, but warned that a prospective cease-fire between the Palestinian leadership and the militant organizations would not improve relations in the future.

Israel had denounced a prospective move by Abu Mazen to broker a truce with the militant groups, arguing that it would only give them time to re-arm themselves.

Jerusalem believes that Powell will agree to the Palestinian proposal for a cease-fire with terror groups, in an effort to avoid the use of force to disarm the militant groups.

"Powell will try to put pressure on us to endorse the road map in principle. But Sharon will tell him that Abu Mazen hasn't done anything to fight terror, that we will not settle just for a 'cease-fire' and demand that Palestinians fight the terrorist organizations," said the source.

"Abu Mazen may enjoy U.S. support but he cannot be able to claim he stopped terrorism without having done anything... That just allows terrorists to regroup for more attacks," the source said.

During his trip, the second to the region in a little over one week, Powell is also expected to ask for an expression of Israel's unambiguous support for the road map and call on the Palestinians to take action to halt terrorism.

The secretary of state was to ask Israel for gestures such as removing military roadblocks, lifting closures on population centers, increasing the number of Palestinian workers allowed into the country, transferring tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority and removing illegal settlement outposts in the territories.

"The road map is controversial," Powell told reporters on his plane before it landed in Tel Aviv. "There are elements that one party or the other might not like. We need to get started... and not enter a prolonged debate."

"We know what has to be done in the very first steps of the first stage so let's get on with it. It's pretty clear - action on security on the Palestinian side and on the Israeli side, doing everything [Israel] can to ease closures, ease the difficulties that the Palestinian people have in moving around."

A senior source close to Sharon said at the present time, the prime minister was agreeable only to limited measures that would alleviate Palestinian privations without a security risk, such as granting more work permits for Israel.

The defense establishment opposes easing restrictions before the PA proves that it is taking steps to fight terror. If more restrictions are to be eased, Sharon will present them to U.S. President George W. Bush, with whom he is scheduled to meet in Washington D.C. in ten days.

Sources in Jerusalem said Sharon would also tell Powell that the peace plan puts insufficient onus on the PA to disarm and jail militants sworn to defy Abu Mazen and in some cases to destroying Israel.

Powell to meet Abu Mazen and Abu Ala 

After meeting with Sharon, Powell will depart Sunday afternoon for the West Bank city of Jericho, where he will meet with Abu Mazen and Palestinian Legislative Council Speaker Ahmed Qureia (Abu Ala). In line with the policy of the Bush administration, Powell will not meet with Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat.

Abu Ala said the Palestinians had already implemented the first part of the road map by naming a prime minister and instituting reforms in the corruption-plagued Palestinian Authority.

Now, he said, it is time for Israel to accept the road map and take steps toward implementation, including releasing prisoners, ending its policy of targeting and killing Palestinian militants, and ceasing activity in the settlements.

We hope Secretary Powell will come with positive "We hope Secretary Powell will come with positive Israeli responses," Abu Ala told The Associated Press. "Such [Israeli] policies will never help in implementing the road map or bringing peace, stability and security to the area."