French FM: Mideast peace unlikely by year-end

CAIRO: French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner says he doesn't expect an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement by the end of the year.

US President George W Bush hosted high-profile peace talks last November in Annapolis, Maryland, and has expressed hope for an agreement by the end of the year. But progress has been limited.

Kouchner urged the international community Saturday to keep pressure on both sides after meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.