Riyadh/Cairo - A summit hosted by Saudi King Abdullah on Wednesday in Riyadh was aimed at "clearing the air" among the Arab states, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said.
The meeting brought together Abdullah, Syrian President Bashar al- Assad, his Egyptian counterpart Hosny Mubarak and Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah.
It was held to iron out relations among the Arab states ahead of Qatar's Arab summit at the end of the month.
Washington - The United States on Wednesday said Pakistan should allow its citizens to protest government actions, but refrained from criticizing a massive government clampdown against opposition activists.
Pakistani police said they arrested more than 300 people earlier Wednesday on the pretext of avoiding violence ahead of a cross- country protest march planned for later this week. Opposition groups said the arrests numbered in the thousands.
Brussels - The Czech presidency of the European Union said Wednesday it had invited officials from the Palestinian Authority, Egypt and Jordan to Brussels for a fresh round of talks on the Middle East.
The meeting, the third of its kind since the Gaza conflict broke out at the beginning of the year, is to take place on Sunday, March 15, officials said.
Brussels - August's war between Russia and Georgia boosted terrorists across the former Soviet Union, the head of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) said Wednesday.
"As a result of the conflict, we noticed a definite increase in terrorist acts in Central Asia, Russia and the East," Nikolai Bordyuzha, secretary general of the CSTO, told journalists in Brussels.
Vienna - The Austrian diplomat Valentin Inzko has been designated as the next international high representative for Bosnia, Austria's Foreign Ministry confirmed Wednesday.
Succeeding Miroslav Lajcak, who is also Slovakia's foreign minister, Inzko will have the job of overseeing the 1995 Dayton peace agreement, while also mediating between the Croatian, Muslim and Serb ethnic groups.
Washington - A decision by the US Congress to ease restrictions on travel to Cuba marks a positive step that should be made permanent, Human Rights Watch said Wednesday.
The Senate late Tuesday approved a budget for the remainder of the this fiscal year, which cut off all funding for enforcing travel restrictions imposed under former president George W Bush in 2004.
Riyadh/Cairo - A summit hosted by Saudi King Abdullah on Wednesday in Riyadh was aimed at "clearing the air" among the Arab states, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said.
Washington - The United States on Wednesday said Pakistan should allow its citizens to protest government actions, but refrained from criticizing a massive government clampdown against opposition activists.
Brussels - The Czech presidency of the European Union said Wednesday it had invited officials from the Palestinian Authority, Egypt and Jordan to Brussels for a fresh round of talks on the Middle East.
Brussels - August's war between Russia and Georgia boosted terrorists across the former Soviet Union, the head of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) said Wednesday.
Vienna - The Austrian diplomat Valentin Inzko has been designated as the next international high representative for Bosnia, Austria's Foreign Ministry confirmed Wednesday.
Washington - A decision by the US Congress to ease restrictions on travel to Cuba marks a positive step that should be made permanent, Human Rights Watch said Wednesday.
