French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said "administrative barriers" in Syria delay the setting up of diplomatic ties between Damascus and Beirut, hoping the move could be accomplished before yearend.

Kouchner, talking to reporters in Paris, attributed the report on the administrative barriers to an unidentified "Syrian source," the daily An-Nahar reported.

Kouchner defended France's rather calculated rapprochement with Syria, saying it was "inevitable and necessary. It achieved progress."

He said Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal relayed to President Nicolas Sarkozy last weekend Riyadh's "reservations" on the Paris-Damascus rapprochement.

"Certainly, we've informed Saudi Arabia of our discussions with Damascus, but Saudi Arabia was not enthusiastic about our meeting with Assad who did not visit Saudi Arabia although Prince Saud had visited Damascus and met Assad."

The relations between Saudi Arabia and Syria are "sensitive and complicated and there are differences in view points," Kouchner said.

The Arabs, however, "recognize that the French stand is to search for peace and calm," he added.

Kouchner also said Paris and Washington are "not on the same path regarding the relations with Syria."

The French official also spoke of "attempts to achieve progress" regarding the Shebaa Farms issue and placing the Israeli-occupied terrain under the guardianship of the United Nations.