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China Urges All Parties in Syria to Cooperate with Annan

Beijing on Tuesday called on all parties in Syria to cooperate with the mediation efforts of Kofi Annan, as the United Nations and Arab League envoy held talks with Chinese leaders.

"We hope that all parties in Syria can cooperate with Mr. Annan's mediation efforts, in order to create conditions for the political settlement of the Syrian issue," foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told journalists.

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Israeli Soldier Stabbed, 3 Palestinians Shot in West Bank

An Israeli soldier was stabbed and three Palestinians were shot during a confrontation near the West Bank town of Ramallah overnight, sources on both sides said.

The soldier was lightly wounded in the incident but the condition of the three Palestinians was not immediately clear, the Israeli army said.

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Syrian Troops Kill 57 amid Clashes near Lebanese Border

Syrian security forces killed at least 57 people on Tuesday across Syria, amid clashes with rebel troops, including near the border with Lebanon, activists said.

Thirty-one people were killed in Idlib, including 23 who were summarily executed, 12 people were killed in Homs, eight in Hama, five in the countryside around Damascus and one in Daraa, the uprising’s Local Coordination Committees announced.

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Clinton Starts Diplomatic Drive on Syria with Stop in Riyadh

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will late this week launch a new diplomatic drive aimed at ending the bloodshed in Syria, making visits to Saudi Arabia and Turkey, officials said Monday.

Clinton will meet in Riyadh with Saudi King Abdullah and Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal as well as foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia's five Gulf Arab neighbors, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Monday.

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Yemen's Hadi Meets Saudi King on First Foreign Trip

Yemen's President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi travelled to Riyadh on Monday, his first foreign trip since being appointed last month, to meet Saudi King Abdullah, the SPA state news agency reported.

Their discussions touched on bilateral and regional issues, the report said without elaborating.

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Syria Offers New Response to Annan's Proposals

Syria has responded afresh to U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan on his six-point proposals to end the crisis in the country, the former U.N. chief's spokesman said Monday.

"The Syrian government has formally responded to the Joint Special Envoy for Syria, Kofi Annan's 6-point plan, as endorsed by the U.N. Security Council," he said in a statement. "Mr. Annan is studying it and will respond very shortly."

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Norway Closes Embassy in Syria

Norway said Monday it was closing its embassy in Damascus for security reasons, following other countries that have done the same for safety concerns or to protest against the regime's crackdown.

Several European Union countries, as well as the United States, Turkey and six Gulf state monarchies have already shut their missions.

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Syria Says Foiled 'Terrorist' Infiltration from Turkey

Syrian forces clashed Monday with a group of "terrorists" seeking to enter the restive northwestern province of Idlib from Turkey, killing and wounding a number of them, official media reported.

"The authorities today foiled an attempt by a group of armed terrorists to enter Syria from Turkey, in an area between the towns of Darkush and Salqin," the official SANA news agency reported.

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Israel Cuts Contact with U.N. Human Rights Council

The Israeli foreign ministry decided on Monday to cut contact with the United Nations Human Rights Council after it said last week it would investigate Israeli settlements, a spokesman said.

"There was a decision by the foreign ministry to sever work contacts with the organization," ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told Agence France Presse, adding that Israel had yet to formally inform the council of its decision.

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Syria Tops Agenda at Iraq Arab Summit

After decades at the center of the Arab world, Syria now sits in the dock as regional leaders meet in Baghdad this week over how to end President Bashar al-Assad's bloody crackdown on a popular uprising.

But wide disparities among Arab chiefs' positions may hamper any hope of an aggressive resolution from the meeting, the first to be held in Iraq in more than 20 years and taking place under heavy security after deadly bombings just a week ago.

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