Ramallah - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner on Saturday said that he believes that a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians before the end of 
2008 is unlikely.

Attending the opening of a French-German financed industrial park in the West Bank city of Jenin, Kouchner said a general document could be signed within the time frame, but a final peace deal - which would include the main sticking point of the status of Jerusalem - was not expected.

Paris - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner voiced fears Wednesday that Russia may destabilise other countries following its recognition of two Georgian breakaway regions.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev formally recognized on Tuesday the breakaway territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia after Russian lawmakers on Monday unanimously passed a resolution to that effect.

Russia had "acted outside international law," Kouchner told French radio station Europe-1. "Other targets" for Russia now could be "the Crimea, Ukraine, Moldova."

"We cannot accept these violations of international law" and "the taking of a territory by the army of a neighbouring country," Kouchner said.

Beirut- French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Monday that the mounting war of words between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah should not be taken seriously, but he warned that the region was still tense.

"One must always take threats seriously, both those made by Israel and by Mr. (Hassan) Nasrallah ... because this is a very inflammatory region," Kouchner said after talks in Beirut with Lebanese President Michel Sleiman.

Damascus - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner arrived in Damascus on Monday for a brief visit ahead of French President Nicolas Sarkozy's official visit to Syria in early September.

Paris - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner Monday ruled out th

Paris  - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner on Sunday will travel to Georgia in a bid to halt the fighting in South Ossetia as part of his country's role heading the European Union presidency.

Kouchner will be accompanied by Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb, who the head of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the EU presidency said in a statement on Paris on Saturday.

Delegations from the United States, European Union and OSCE were on the way to Tiblisi to discuss the fighting between Georgia and Russia.