BERLIN (AFP) - Germany's foreign minister ruled out his country's participation in a military strike in Syria after an apparent deadly poison gas attack.

Guido Westerwelle told Saturday's Neue Osnabruecker Zeitung that such military action had "neither been asked nor is it being considered by us", according to comments pre-released by the paper.

Meanwhile, French President Francois Hollande said a military strike on Syria could come by Wednesday and that Britain's surprise rejection of armed intervention would not affect his government's stand.

"France wants firm and proportionate action against the Damasacus regime," he said in an interview to Le Monde daily on Friday. The French parliament is due to meet on Wednesday for an emergency Syria session.

The French leader, who had vowed to "punish" President Bashar al-Assad's regime for an alleged chemical weapons strike on August 21, said "there was a body of indicators pointing to the responsibility of the Damascus regime".