Tel Aviv  - Israel needs quickly to advance the peace process, visiting French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Wednesday as he began a round of meetings with Israeli officials.

"The coming days area test for the Israeli government, since time is not on the side of both parties (to the israel-Palestinian peace process)," Israeli media quoted Kouchner as saying has he met Israeli Minorities Minister Avishai Braverman.

Paris - France paid "around 200,000 euros" (284,000 dollars) in bail for the release of a French citizen from prison in Tehran, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner told broadcaster LCI on Monday.

Released on Sunday, Clotilde Reiss was in prison for six weeks on espionage charges related to the unrest in the wake of the country's disputed June presidential elections. She must however remain in Iran until the case against her concludes.

Paris  - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has called for dialogue with the Taliban in Afghanistan, in an interview published Monday.

"Of course one has to negotiate with the Taliban, at least those who are prepared to lay down their weapons and talk," Kouchner told Le Figaro newspaper.

"In addition, the allied forces should coordinate closely," since separate negotiations with the Taliban at local level would have no result, he added.

Paris  - The French foreign ministry has summoned the Israeli ambassador to complain about Jerusalem's settlements policy, Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Tuesday.

"We are going to discuss the continuing construction of settlements," Kouchner said. "These activities must be stopped. Otherwise there will be no chance to found an independent Palestinian state that administers itself and also guarantees Israel's security."

He said the settlements went against both international and Israeli law.(dpa)

Damascus  - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, speaking to reporters from Damascus on Sunday, admitted that France and Syria were "not in full agreement" on Iran's nuclear programme.

"We are not in full agreement on how to handle the Iranian nuclear file, but it was very useful to listen to the Syrian point of view on this matter," Kouchner said after meeting his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Moallem and President Bashar al-Assad.

Beirut  - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner reiterated Friday that the Lebanese should form their own government and that Paris would not interfere in the country's internal affairs.

"We will not interfere in cabinet formation. It is not our mission," Kouchner said following talks with President Michel Suleiman at Baabda presidential palace.

Kouchner, who arrived in Beirut Thursday, said some issues were "making progress in the Middle East region - except for the Palestinian-Israeli track."

Beirut - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner arrived Thursday in Beirut for talks with Lebanese leaders on the situation in Lebanon and regional peace efforts.

"Cabinet formation is an internal issue," Kouchner said on arrival at Rafik Hariri international airport. "They (the Lebanese) can form their government without anybody's help."

He said he would meet with "all Lebanese leaders and representatives from the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, which is represented in parliament."

Paris - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner demanded Tuesday the "immediate release" of a young French university assistant jailed by Iranian authorities on a charge of espionage.

"This is a young French girl who must be released immediately because she is innocent and because there is no basis to the accusations," Kouchner told France 3 television.

Paris - The most burning question in France on Monday appeared to be who Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner would vote for in next month's EU parliamentary elections.

In an interview published at the weekend in the daily Le Parisien, the former Socialist Party member refused to commit himself, saying he was waiting "to see the platforms" of the two major parties, the left-wing Socialists and the conservative UMP of President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Paris - France will remain at the UN racism conference in Geneva and plans to sign its concluding declaration, Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Tuesday.

"Yesterday (Monday) we all left the hall together," Kouchner told Europe 1 radio, referring to the walkout of European ambassadors in reaction to comments by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad about Israel. "But we are not leaving the conference."

Riyadh  - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner arrived in Riyadh Sunday for talks on key regional issues.

He and Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal were to discuss issues including Gaza, Palestinian reconciliation and Lebanon ahead of the parliamentary election there on June 7.

Other subjects would be the Iran nuclear issue and developments in Afghanistan and Sudan, informed sources said.

Paris - Despite the degenerating security situation in Afghanistan, France has no plans to send more troops to the conflict- torn country, Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Tuesday in Paris.

"We do not have the intent (to send more troops). We have just increased the number of soldiers in the region," Kouchner told reporters.

Sana'a, Yemen - Yemen has agreed to provide French navy ships operating in the EU-led anti-piracy mission off Somalia with logistical services at its ports, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said on Saturday.

Kouchner, who paid a one-day visit to Sana'a, made the announcement after a meeting with Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

"France and Yemen will exert joint efforts to fight piracy. It is unacceptable to let pirates attack cruise and commercial ships," the French minister said.

Paris - The wife of French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, journalist Christine Ockrent, is to become general director of the state-owned TV all-news station France 24, the online edition of the weekly Le Point reported on Friday.

Ockrent, who will turn 65 in April, will not answer to her husband's ministry, but will be directly under the office of Prime Minister Francois Fillon, the weekly reported.

Paris - A book published on Wednesday accuses French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner of using his position as head of a public health organization to carry out high-paying consulting activities in Africa for private companies.

The book, The World According to K, by journalist Pierre Pean, alleges that from 2002 to 2007 Kouchner represented two private health consulting firms in Africa while at the same time heading the association Esther, the aim of which was to increase international hospital cooperation.

Paris - A book published on Wednesday accuses French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner of using his position as head of a public health organization to carry out high-paying consulting activities in Africa for private companies.

The book, "The World According to K," by journalist Pierre Pean, alleges that from 2002 to 2007 Kouchner represented two private health consulting firms in Africa while at the same time heading the association Esther, the aim of which was to increase international hospital cooperation.

Paris - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner was quoted Wednesday as saying that he had made a mistake in asking President Nicolas Sarkozy to create a ministry for human rights.

"I think I was wrong to ask for a junior minister for human rights. It's a mistake. Because there is a permanent contradiction between human rights and a nation's foreign policy, even in France," Kouchner said in an interview published in the daily Le Parisien on the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Marseille - New rules of military engagement are necessary for the 17,000 UN peacekeeping troops stationed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Monday in Marseille.

"The rules of engagement now are very restrictive," Kouchner said ahead of an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in the southern French city of Marseille. "We can not have soldiers there who are not allowed to shoot. I'm not saying we should make war. But we should be able to carry out defensive missions."

Nairobi - United Nations forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo - MONUC - must be reinforced if peace in the country's east is to be re-established, British and French foreign ministers David Miliband and Bernard Kouchner warned Sunday.

"The international community must give emergency help, reinforce MONUC and help to enforce the agreements already reached," they said in a declaration issued in the Tanzanian capital Dar es Salaam.

"We cannot turn away - it is a matter of urgent necessity to resolve the crisis," the joint statement added.

Paris - The French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and British Foreign Secretary David Miliband are shortly to travel to the threatened Congolese city of Goma.

A visit to the Rwandan capital Kigali has also been scheduled.

The government of Congo has accused Rwanda of supporting the rebel faction under the leadership of General Laurent Nkunda.

Kouchner has called for a humanitarian mission of EU soldiers to be deployed to support UN troops in the region around Goma.

Tens of thousands of civilians have fled fighting in recent days between the Congolese army and Nkunda's forces. (dpa)