Secretary of State Colin L. Powell put the onus for the failure of a U.S.-backed Middle East peace plan on the Palestinian Authority yesterday, signaling growing frustration with the new Palestinian government and significant support for the Israeli position in this presidential election year.

"What we need is, I believe, more responsible action on the part of the Palestinian Authority in order to bring terrorism under control, make sure that violence is being brought to an end," Powell said in a rare, wide-ranging news conference. Only then, he said, can progress be made on the "road map" plan.

"What is absolutely essential for us to move forward [is] we need a clear statement from the North Koreans that they are prepared to bring these programs to a verifiable end," Powell said, adding that the dismantlement must also be permanent. If the North Koreans agree to those terms, then the administration is prepared to "describe the kind of security assurances we will give." Otherwise, Powell said, the administration will not consider discussions on "what the needs of the North Korean people are, and how those needs can be addressed."

Powell announced that he will attend the Jan. 25 inauguration of Georgia's new president, Mikheil Saakashvili, who won a landslide election victory last weekend. Powell vigorously defended his presentation before the United Nations last February of U.S. allegations that Iraq was pursuing weapons of mass destruction. But weapons inspectors have not uncovered programs that posed an immediate threat, as asserted by the administration before the war.

"Anything that we did not feel was solid and multi-sourced, we did not use in that speech," Powell said. "I am confident of what I presented last year. The intelligence community is confident of the material they gave me; I was representing them."

Powell's remarks on the Middle East were noteworthy because, generally, the State Department's statements on the Arab-Israeli conflict are much more evenhanded, making sure an equal dose of concern is expressed about the actions of each side. In the past, for instance, the administration warned Israel not to take unilateral actions that might prevent the creation of a viable Palestinian state. But such concerns were not expressed by Powell yesterday.

In a major speech last month, Sharon said he would unilaterally separate Israelis and Palestinians if negotiations falter and the Palestinian government does not take action against militant groups. Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia warned yesterday that such actions would doom the two-state solution envisioned in the road map.

But Powell appeared to defend Sharon, saying "he is looking for a reliable partner he can work with." Powell noted that "Sharon's comments recently and some of the plans that he has talked about or have been speculated about are just that, right now, plans. . . . What we are trying to do is to get that reliable partner to stand up and start acting."