* ‘Israel’s a major obstacle to ME peace’ Syrian President Bashar Assad on Saturday called Israel the “major obstacle” to peace in the Middle East and warned that a failure of negotiations would open the way for more “resistance” in occupied lands.

* Ahmadinejad: No talks on nuke program until after elections Talks on the Iranian nuclear program will have to wait until after the country’s presidential elections on June 12, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Saturday.

* Viewpoint: EU-Russia summit falls short of increased trust The latest European Union (EU)-Russia summit has not radically increased mutual trust mainly due to the EU Eastern Partnership project involving six post-Soviet countries.

* Pakistan army ‘in Taliban city’ Fierce fighting is taking place between Pakistani troops and Taliban militants in Mingora, the main city in the militant-controlled Swat valley.

* EU seeks to extend global reach The choices made by voters in next month’s European Parliament elections will have an influence – albeit indirect – on EU foreign policy.

* Obama won’t present Mideast peace plan in Cairo The White House denied on Friday that details of a new Middle East peace plan will be publicly revealed by President Barack Obama during his upcoming trip to Cairo next month.

* Iran’s Ahmadinejad rallies supporters Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has begun the campaign for June’s presidential election with a defiant speech against Iran’s enemies.

* WHO chief warns H1N1 swine flu likely to worsen The world must be ready for H1N1 swine flu to become more severe and kill more people, World Health Organization chief Dr. Margaret Chan said on Friday.

* Viewpoint: EU-Russia summit falls short of increased trust The latest European Union (EU)-Russia summit has not radically increased mutual trust mainly due to the EU Eastern Partnership project involving six post-Soviet countries.

* Russia, Jordan sign nuclear cooperation agreement Russia and Jordan have signed a nuclear energy cooperation agreement, according to media reports in Moscow over the weekend.