Damascus - French President Nicolas Sarkozy again called for Mideast peace Tuesday, following a meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on the continuing conflict between Israel and the Islamist forces of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

"Every party should deploy and exercise pressure on Hamas so that weapons should be quiet and silent," said Sarkozy, who has faulted Hamas for prompting the Israeli attack with a week of missile attacks into Israel after a ceasefire expired December 19.

He called on Syria to "convince Hamas to choose the voice of reason and the path of peace and the path of reconciliation."

However, Syria has long been a supporter of Hamas and is not willing to absolve Israel of blame for the ongoing conflict.

"The barbarian attacks on Gaza need to be stopped immediately," said Assad during the press conference. "What is happening in Gaza is a war crime and Israel will pay for it later."

Sarkozy acknowledged that there was a ways to go before the fighting could stop.

"It is a bit early to draw conclusions from this visit," he said I am convinced that everybody has agreed to make the first step that fighting will stop.

"I am pleased that I have found Syria serious in this dialogue. I know Syria's influence on a number of parties.

Assad said an Arab summit on the conflict remains necessary.

Sarkozy started his four-day trip through the Middle East on Monday, calling for peace in the Middle East as he visited Egypt and Israel. His next stop is Beirut.

The two presidents were also expected to discuss relations between Syria and Lebanon. (dpa)