During a visit to France, Barak described ongoing indirect talks between Israel and Syria as "preliminary contacts, not yet negotiations" in an interview to Le Monde daily.

"I don't think that we will have negotiations before the end of the year and not without the contribution of the Americans who are the only ones capable of filling the gaps," Barak said.

Speculation had been rife over the past weeks that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would hold a historic meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on the sidelines of a Mediterranean summit in Paris on July 13.

But Assad on Thursday ruled out such a meeting, saying during a visit to New Delhi: "This is not like drinking tea."

"The meeting between me and the Israeli prime minister will be meaningless without technocrats, who are the experts, laying the foundation," said Assad.

The Syrian president has said direct peace talks with Israel were unlikely before next year and depended on the fate of Olmert, who has been dogged by calls for his resignation over a graft scandal.

Last month, Israel and Syria announced they had launched indirect peace talks, with Turkey serving as a mediator, after an eight-year freeze.

Meanwhile, Turkey has announced two further rounds of meetings in July, after their latest session in Turkey left both sides "extremely satisfied."

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