Visiting French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine said on November 11 that the conditions for the resumption of the Syrian-Israeli peace talks were not yet in place.

After his meeting with Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, Vedrine told reporters "it is highly important for us and the other peace supporters to be apprised of al-Assad's stance."

He described his talks with al-Assad as useful for identifying Syria's position.

"The conditions for resuming the talks on the Syrian and Lebanese tracks were inappropriate so far as the main obstacle is still there, namely from which point the talks should restart," Vedrine added.

He also underlined the inter-relations between the Syrian and Lebanese tracks of talks.

Syria demands that the talks be resumed from where they were left off three years ago when the negotiations hit impasse while Israel wants the talks to start from scratch.

Vedrine said al-Assad voiced Syria's commitment to working for peace and hoped Europe and France play a greater role in the peace process.

France has long wanted to play a greater role in Mideast peacemaking, especially in Israeli-Syrian relations. Israel, for its part, has not expressed enthusiasm for a wider French or European role, preferring to stick with U.S. mediation and for direct talks.

Vedrine arrived here Thursday afternoon on a one-day visit. Syria is the first leg of Vedrine's three-nation tour and he will travel on to Lebanon Friday morning and then Egypt.