Paris  - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad believes the administration of US President George W Bush is incapable of making peace in the Mideast, according to remarks published Monday in France.

"Frankly, we do not think that the current American administration is capable of making peace. It has neither the will nor the vision, and it has only a few more months left," Assad was quoted as saying on the online edition of the daily Le Figaro.

"We are putting our hopes on the next American president and his administration. It will be, we hope, rather an advantage to have a different US president."

Assad said that he would be meeting with Lebanese President Michel Suleiman when he travels to Paris later this week to take part in the founding summit meeting of the Union for the Mediterranean.

"I have known President Suleiman for about 10 years," Assad said. "Preparations are being made to organize the meeting, which will take place in Paris."

Sunday's meeting in Paris to establish the Union for the Mediterranean, a pet project of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, may become an important stepping-stone for direct talks between Syria and Israel.

Assad said he believed that France could play an active role in setting up direct talks between Damascus and Jerusalem. Currently, the two countries are holding indirect talks mediated by Turkey.

Assad is scheduled to arrive in Paris on Saturday, to speak with Sarkozy. He and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will likely sit at the same table during the summit but are not expected to speak officially with each other.

In the interview, Assad said that neither Iran nor Israel should possess nuclear arms.

"We are against the acquisition of nuclear weapons, whether by Iran or any other country in the region, particularly Israel," he said. "It is unacceptable that Israel possesses
200 nuclear warheads."

Although it has steadfastly been denied by authorities in Jerusalem, many observers belive that Israel has nuclear weapons, although the number of missiles has never been established.

In May, former US president Jimmy Carter estimated that Israel had at least 150 atomic weapons in its arsenal. (dpa)