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Indonesia President Warns of Europe Impact on Asia

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Europe's economic woes could hit Southeast Asia and warned the region against copying the integrated Eurozone model, in comments printed Wednesday.

Yudhoyono told the Wall Street Journal that the slowdown in China's economic growth, stoked by weak demand from Europe, will "impact directly on the economy in this region".

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French President Doesn't Rule Out Armed Force in Syria

French President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday that the use of armed force could be possible in Syria following the Houla massacre, but that it had to be carried out under U.N. auspices.

"An armed intervention is not excluded on the condition that it is carried out with respect to international law, meaning after deliberation by the United Nations Security Council," Hollande said in a television interview.

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Top U.N. Official: Strong Suspicion Shabiha Involved in Houla Tragedy

A top U.N. official said Tuesday there are "strong" suspicions that a militia loyal to Syria's President Bashar Assad carried out a massacre in the town of Houla which has sparked international condemnation.

"There is strong suspicion that the Shabiha were involved in this tragedy in Houla," U.N. peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous told reporters at the U.N. headquarters.

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Belgium Bans Syrian Diplomats, Urges 'Military Presence'

Belgium declared the Syrian ambassador and two diplomats "persona non grata" Tuesday to protest the Houla massacre while raising the prospect of "a military presence" that was short of intervention.

Foreign Minister Didier Reynders said however that Syria's ambassador -- Mohammad Ayman Jameel Soussan -- could not be expelled immediately as he was also ambassador to the European Union.

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U.S. Hopes Syria Massacre Sparks Change in Russia Stance

The United States said Tuesday that it hopes the massacre in Syria sparks a "turning point" in Russia's reluctance to take tougher action against Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Washington welcomes the fact "that the Russians are willing to have a full investigation (of the massacre) because we think it's undisputable what that investigation is going to show," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.

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Ghannouchi: Arab Spring Can Reconcile Mideast with West

The head of Tunisia's ruling Islamist party, Rached Ghannouchi, said on Tuesday that the Arab Spring provided an opportunity to reconcile Arabic public opinion with the West.

He spoke at the opening of a conference in Doha on relations between the United States and the Muslim world, focused on the challenges created by the popular revolts that have swept the region and changed the political map.

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Russia Demands 'Impartial' U.N. Probe of Syria Massacre

Russia on Tuesday called for an "objective and impartial" U.N.-led probe into last week's massacre in the Syrian city of Houla that killed 108 people and left some 300 wounded.

"At this stage, there should be an objective and impartial investigation conducted under the auspices of the U.N. monitoring mission in Syria," the foreign ministry said in a statement after telephone talks between Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and international peace envoy Kofi Annan.

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Sudan, South Sudan Start First Talks since Conflict

Top negotiators for Sudan and South Sudan met Tuesday for their first talks since deadly border fighting last month took them to the brink of war, even as Juba accused Khartoum of fresh air strikes.

Teams from both sides are in the Ethiopian capital for African Union-led talks which were stalled by heavy clashes last month, the worst fighting since the South won independence last July.

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Iran Says Sub Fixed without Russian Help

Iran said on Tuesday it has managed to overhaul one of the three Russian-made submarines it has in its fleet, despite Moscow rejecting requests for plans and parts.

"At first it was a very difficult task. But with perseverance and determination, our navy proved that it was a doable task," the commander of the Iranian navy, Admiral Habibollah Sayari, was quoted as saying by the state television website.

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Updating Gaza Voter Lists 'to Take Six Weeks'

The long-overdue process of updating electoral lists in Gaza is expected to take six weeks, the head of the Palestinian Central Election Commission said on Tuesday.

The announcement was made a day after Hamas gave the CEC the green light to begin updating the lists for the first time in six years in a key step to paving the way for elections.

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