The French president Nicolas Sarkozy, warns Iran that it is taking a big risk by seeking to obtain a military nuclear capability, saying that one day it could find Israel had decided to attack. In one of the most explicit warnings to Tehran by a western leader, Sarkozy said: One day, whatever the

Israeli government, we could find one morning that Israel has struck. "The question is not whether it would be legitimate, whether it would be intelligent. What will we do at that moment? It would be a catastrophe. We must avoid that catastrophe". Iran insists it is pursuing a civilian programme, but western powers suspect it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Israel has not ruled out military action against Iran if the crisis over its nuclear programme is not resolved, and in June tension in-creased with further military exercises by the Jewish state seen by some as a warning to Tehran. Israel is the only Middle Eastern state thought to possess a military nuclear capability, although it does not publicly acknowledge the fact. Sarkozy was speaking at a summit in Damascus with Bashar al-Assad, his Syrian counterpart, and the leaders of Turkey and Qatar. Syria is an ally of Iran and Sarkozy has asked Assad to help to resolve the stand-off between Iran and the west. "The US knows the role Syria can play", Sarkozy said. "Syria can play a major role on this issue". The summit marked a coup for Assad as Syria is gradually welcomed back into the international fold, but Washington still treats the Arab state as a pariah. Observers also doubt the extent of influence Syria has with Iran, and relations between Damascus and Tehran have suffered as the result of Syria's decision to enter indirect peace talks with Israel, diplomats say. Assad said Damascus had submitted proposals to Turkish mediators that could form the basis for Syria's first direct negotiations with Israel for eight years. A fifth round of indirect talks between the two nations had been postponed, he said, following the resignation of an Israeli negotiator in the wake of the decision by Ehud Olmert, the Israeli PM, to step down later this month amid corruption charges. Turkey said those talks would resume this month. But any direct negotiations would not take place until after US elections and once Olmert's successor had been chosen. The last direct talks between the two collapsed in 2000 after they failed to agree how far Israel should withdraw from the Golan Heights, territory occupied in the 1967 Middle East war.