Tel Aviv/New York - US Senator John Kerry, who narrowly lost the 2004 presidential election, entered the Gaza Strip Thursday in a rare visit by a US elected official.

Kerry, who was the centre-left Democratic Party's previous presidential nominee, met with Karen Abu Zaid, director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

Beirut  - US Senator John Kerry arrived in Beirut Wednesday for talks with Lebanese leaders as part of a Mideast tour.

Kerry held talks with Prime Minister Fouad Seniora, President Michel Suleiman and parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri.

According to a government official the talks focused on Lebanon's upcoming parliamentary elections in June, as well as bilateral relations.

Islamabad, Dec.

Islamabad, Dec.

Islamabad - US Senator John Kerry urged India and Pakistan to keep the channels of diplomacy open to counter terrorism and remove misunderstandings that could threaten regional peace, media reports said Wednesday.

Kerry, the next chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, made the remarks Tuesday in Islamabad, where he arrived from New Delhi as part of Washington's efforts to defuse tensions stemming from last month's Mumbai terrorist attacks.

New Delhi - US Senator John Kerry said Monday there was "strong evidence" that the Mumbai attackers came from Pakistan and Washington's assistance to Pakistan will depend on its "behaviour" in dealing with militant outfits.

Kerry met Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi, as Indian officials blame Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) for the Mumbai carnage that left over 170 people dead.