Olmert: Palestinians must give up the right of refugee return Prime Minister Ehud Olmert laid out a far-reaching vision of peace on Thursday, reaffirming that Israel would be willing to withdraw from a great deal of territory in return for a true peace.

Panel to Weigh Overture by U.S. to Iran and Syria A draft report on strategies for Iraq, urges an aggressive regional diplomatic initiative that includes direct talks with Iran and Syria.

Iraq president to fly to Iran Iraqi President Jalal Talabani was due to fly to Tehran to meet his Iranian counterpart on Monday.

Leftist Chavez ally winning Ecuador presidential race Leftist Rafael Correa, whose friendship with Venezuela’s anti-US leader and calls to limit foreign debt payments have caused concern in Washington.

Pope death threats put Turkey on high alert An army of snipers, riot police, secret agents and bomb disposal experts has been mobilized for the Pope’s four-day visit to Turkey.

Jordan: 3 civil wars in Mideast possible Jordan’s King Abdullah said Sunday the problems in the Middle East go beyond the war in Iraq.

Cyprus row halts EU-Turkey talks Talks between the EU and Turkey over Cyprus have broken down without agreement, Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja has said.

Syria may help calm Iraq, for a price As the US debates whether to reach out to Syria for help in calming Iraq, some close to the Syrian regime said Sunday the country would be willing to help, but only if it got something valuable in return.

Turkish police on high alert ahead of pope’s visit Turkish security forces will be on high alert Tuesday for the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI, his first visit to a Muslim country since becoming leader of the Catholic Church last year.

Haniyeh to visit Egypt, Iran, Syria as part of first foreign trip as PM Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas is to head out on his first tour of Arab countries, including Syria and Iran.