John Kerry in Paris
John Kerry in ParisReuters

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said Thursday he had called for a planned Middle East peace conference to be held in Paris on June 3.

"I have suggested that the conference initially planned for May 30 be held on June 3," Ayrault said after talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry on the sidelines of a NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels.  

"We reviewed again the position concerning France's initiative to hold a ministerial-level meeting in Paris to relaunch the Middle East peace process," Ayrault told reporters.

This would also provide the opportunity "for Israel and the Palestinians to resume on the basis of a two-state solution," he said.

"We are in a crisis situation and every day the situation on the ground gets worse," he added.

Kerry said separately he would attend the peace conference, with Washington playing a key role in peace efforts over the years due to its special relationship with Israel.

His announcement ended weeks of speculation as to whether the Obama administration would effectively endorse the initiative by attending. 

The French initiative has been rejected by Israel as counterproductive and one-sided, and the Jewish state won't be represented at the conference, which will see major world powers reach an agreed formula to impose a two-state solution.

AFP contributed to this report.