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BEIRUT – Kofi Annan is in Syria to try to find a diplomatic solution to the yearlong conflict. The U.N. envoy, reports Syria’s state-run news agency, is in talks with Syria’s president Bashar Assad as shelling across the country continue. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the government was shelling the Idlib [...]

PARIS – France’s foreign minister says he is doubtful that Iran is willing to negotiate over the future of its nuclear program in newly announced talks with leading world powers. Alain Juppe said on France’s i-Tele television Wednesday that he’s “a bit skeptical.” He says Iran is “continuing to use doublespeak, that’s the reason why [...]

KABUL, Afghanistan – Hamid Karzai announced Saturday that “he personally held peace talks recently with the insurgent faction Hizb-i-Islami.” The Afghan president made the announcement hours before he was to meet with American special representative Marc Grossman to discuss plans for bringing the Taliban insurgency into formal talks. “Recently, we met with a delegation from [...]

JERUSALEM – The top general of the U.S. military – Army Gen. Martin Dempsey – has begun a string of talks with Israeli leaders Friday over how to handle Iran’s nuclear program. Dempsey will likley not urge Israel to attack Iran as the U.S. is trying to rally additional global support to pressure Tehran through [...]

JERUSALEM – A Palestinian official says negotiators are sticking to an end of January deadline in talks with Israel, despite U.S. calls for flexibility. Palestinian and Israeli negotiators met last week for the first time in more than a year. Nabil Abu Rdeneh, an aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said Friday Palestinians will consider [...]

KABUL, Afghanistan – The Taliban’s political wing is ready to enter peace talks to end the war in Afghanistan, but the insurgents will in the meantime continue their armed struggle, the group said Thursday. The militant movement’s emailed statement suggests that efforts to bring Afghan factions to the table are gathering momentum, but also highlights [...]

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine government and the country’s largest Muslim rebel group have extended the mandate of international cease-fire monitors until 2013. The extension comes despite recent clashes that killed scores of combatants in the restive southern region. The government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front also said Wednesday that they’ll meet again next [...]

JERUSALEM – Israel said it’s ready to show “flexibility” and come to terms with part of the requests Palestinians are putting forward in their struggle to become an independent state, reports nydailynews.com. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has always played down Barack Obama’s requests to base the state of Palestine on the pre-1967 Mideast war [...]

KABUL- The international community and the US are in talks with the Taliban forces to try and put an end to the war in Afghanistan, reports guardian.co.uk. Afghan president Hamid Karzai confirmed the rumours and added that his government is in contact with insurgent groups. “Peace talks are going on with the Taliban. The foreign [...]