Washington  - The US envoy and architect of the peace deal that ended the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina called former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic an "evil" man whose arrest was "historic."

"He was the most evil man I have ever met in my life," Richard Holbrooke, the US ambassador who brokered the 1995 Dayton Accords to end the 1992-1995 ethnic war, said on CNN.

Rome  - Italy's upper house of parliament, the Senate, passed Tuesday a bill which protects the country's top officials from prosecution, including Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

The bill, propounded by Berlusconi's conservative coalition, was approved by 171 votes for to 128 against with six abstentions.

It is now set to become law having won approval in both houses of parliament. The lower house Chamber of Deputies passed it on July 11.

Washington  - The United States pledged to move forward on the nuclear cooperation deal with India after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh won a vote of confidence on Tuesday.

Singh's survival in the 275-256 parliamentary vote was essential for the deal that will allow the United States to provide nuclear material to India for civilian energy reactors.

"It's good for India because it would help provide them a source for energy that they need, one that is non-polluting and one that doesn't emit greenhouse gas emissions," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.

Amman - US Democratic Party presumtpive presidential candidate Barack Obama pledged Tuesday to work relentlessly for peace between Israel and the Palestinians based on the "two-state" vision if elected president.

Addressing a press conference in Amman, Obama supported a "phased withdrawal" from Iraq, fielding more US troops in Afghanistan and putting pressure on Pakistan to play a more active role against terrorism.

Brussels  - The European Union is preparing to implement a tougher United Nations sanctions against Iran despite ongoing efforts at resolving the nuclear conflict with the Middle Eastern country, said EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana on Tuesday.

"The EU has a responsibility to implement resolution 1803 of the UN Security Council," Solana said after talks with EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

New York  - Violent actions have dropped in Gaza Strip in the past month while a number of "encouraging" developments have taken place across the Middle East, the United Nations said Tuesday.

The drop in violence in Gaza was "a significant, but fragile, achievement," B. Lynn Pascoe, the chief UN political affairs officer, told the UN Security Council.