Paris  - Talks between Palestinians and Israelis are falling short of expectations, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Saturday in Paris.

Discussing the mood ahead of Sunday's summit of the Union for the Mediterranean in Paris, Kouchner told journalists, "Being around the same table with people you have fought is the beginning of something, it is a wind of hope."

He was referring to the fact that Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would all take part in the summit.

However, Kouchner added, "I'm sorry to say that the talks between Israelis and Palestinians are not part of this wind of hope."

Presidents and prime ministers from 43 EU and Mediterranean nations will be taking part in Sunday's launch of the Union for the Mediterranean, a pet project of French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

On Sunday, the French president will meet with Olmert and Abbas. Kouchner's comment, made after a meeting in Paris with Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, suggests that little progress is to be expected to come from Sunday's meeting. (dpa)