President Michel Suleiman traveled to New York on Sunday to attend the United Nations General Assembly that is set for September 24, reported the Kuwaiti daily al-Anba on Sunday.

He is “almost definitely” expected to meet with U.S. President Barack Obama, it added, while not ruling out the possibility of a meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rowhani.

Syria's opposition National Coalition on Saturday rejected an Iranian offer to broker talks with the regime, saying the bid was "not serious" and calling Tehran "part of the problem."

"The Iranian initiative is not serious and lacks political credibility," the key opposition grouping said in a statement.

U.S. President Barack Obama will hold talks with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, the White House said.

Obama is due to address the annual assembly of world leaders on Tuesday, and will also find time to meet one-on-one with Abbas, President Michel Suleiman and Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan, spokesman Ben Rhodes said.

The United States welcomed what it said was constructive rhetoric from Iran Friday, following a report that its leaders want a swift deal on their nuclear program to end crippling sanctions.

But the White House stressed that despite signs of a rare opening between the two enemies, it needed to see concrete action to prove Iran was prepared to engage.

Thirteen people, including a toddler, were wounded in an overnight gang shooting in Chicago, U.S. President Barack Obama's adopted hometown that has been struggling to stem violent crime, police said.

Among the victims was a three-year-old child who was in critical condition after being shot in the ear when gunfire erupted around 10:15 pm (0315 GMT Friday) at a park on Chicago's south side, police said.

A meeting will be held on the sidelines of next week's U.N. General Assembly in New York between President Michel Suleiman and his U.S. counterpart President Barack Obama.

The meeting will address the latest developments in the region and the negative repercussions caused by the Syrian turmoil on Lebanon, informed sources told al-Joumhouria newspaper published on Friday.

Iranian President Hassan Rowhani offered to broker talks between the Syrian government and the opposition Thursday, as the United States called for a binding U.N. resolution on the regime's chemical weapons.

A "definitive" U.N. report has proved that the Syrian regime was behind an August chemical weapons attack, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said.

The Pentagon said Tuesday it would review security at U.S. bases worldwide after a defense contractor gunned down 12 people in Washington, as investigators worked to uncover the shooter's motive.

A day after the shooting, officials were struggling to answer how and why 34-year-old Aaron Alexis, a former sailor with a history of disciplinary problems and brushes with the law, had been granted a security clearance.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is to meet U.S. President Barack Obama next week, ahead of the opening of the U.N. General Assembly, Palestinian sources said on Tuesday.

At their September 23 meeting, the two men will discuss peace negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel, which resumed earlier this year after a three year hiatus, the sources said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday he would stress the need to halt Iran's nuclear program when he meets U.S. President Barack Obama later this month.

Speaking at a meeting of his cabinet, Netanyahu said he would meet Obama before addressing the United Nations in New York.