PARIS (AFP) - France pushed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a breakthrough in Middle East peace talks Thursday, after warning it may go ahead and recognise a Palestinian state this year. Netanyahu met French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris at a time when he has been railing against a unity pact signed by the two main Palestinian factions, which he has described as a threat to peace and security. The two men went into a scheduled one-hour closed door meeting shortly after 5.00pm (1500 GMT) after Netanyahu flew in from London. Sarkozy implied in an interview with this week's edition of L'Express news magazine that France could recognise a Palestinian declaration of statehood if peace talks remain in stalemate, as they have been since last September. France may also turn a donors' conference on a future Palestinian state set for June into a political meeting to relaunch peace efforts, Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said Wednesday. Netanyahu travelled to France a day after meeting his British counterpart David Cameron, and as Israel sought to convince European leaders to oppose UN recognition of a unilaterally declared Palestinian state. Meanwhile, Palestinian premier Mahmud Abbas met German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin. Germany has stressed it will not recognise a Palestinian state without Israel's agreement. Fatah leader Abbas buried the hatchet with Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal at a ceremony in the Egyptian capital on Wednesday, ending a nearly four-year feud between the two factions. Netanhayu called Abbas's deal with the militant group "a tremendous blow to peace and a great victory for terrorism" and said "the fate of the Middle East and the fate of peace hangs in the balance." His meeting with the British leader brought mixed results. Cameron agreed that a Palestinian caretaker govt to be formed after reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas must meet international conditions, but was unconvinced that the accord threatened peace. A statement from Sarkozy's office said the Paris meeting would focus on "a true relaunching of the peace process".