Powell wants to keep Mideast peace moving ahead

Powell is scheduled to visit the Mideast next week.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Secretary of State Colin Powell said Thursday he wants to "keep the process moving forward" amid a shaky Mideast cease-fire.

Powell said a fragile Israeli-Palestinian cease-fire has been less successful than hoped, but he wants to keep regional leaders looking toward the next step when he visits next week.

"There has been some dropping in the level of violence, although it is nowhere near the level that we had hoped for," Powell said after a meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher El-Sayed. "So it seemed an appropriate time for me to go over take a look on the ground, speak to the leaders of the region and make an assessment where we are."

El-Sayed said he was "very encouraged" after his meeting with Powell and about the news of Powell's trip. He said it was important to link the security cooperation and a political dialogue.

An initiative put forward by Egypt and Jordan suggests political dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians resume while the parties put forth confidence building measures.

U.S. officials said Powell is expected to stop in Egypt and Jordan while in the region.

Powell said recommendations made by the Mitchell Committee report in May and a cease-fire "work plan" developed by CIA Director George Tenet during his visit to the region earlier this month were "concrete steps" he hoped to build upon during his trip.

He said security meetings between Israeli and Palestinian officials had been "positive and productive." During his trip he said he hopes to get started on a "formal beginning" of a cooling-off period and the subsequent confidence building measures mentioned in the Mitchell report.

Assistant Secretary of State William Burns was due to leave for the region Thursday to hold meetings with the parties in advance of Powell's trip, the State Department said.