The European Union on Monday urged more international action on getting humanitarian aid into Syria and called for Russia to recognize the need for new Syrian leadership, as Paris urged Vladimir Putin to mark his return to the Russian presidency by dropping Moscow's support for the Syrian regime.

"We need to see some action on Syria from the international community in order to get humanitarian aid that's so desperately needed into Homs right now," EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton told reporters in Prague.

Police in Jordan's southern city of Tafileh fired tear gas on Monday to disperse angry unemployed demonstrators who demanded that the authorities make good on their promise of jobs.

"Scores of unemployed youth demonstrated in Tafileh, throwing stones at the governorate building as well as police, who had to fire tear gas to break up the protest," the state-run Petra news agency reported.

The United States said Monday it would be a "welcome development" if Iran's Supreme Court has overturned a death sentence for spying handed down to former U.S. Marine Amir Mirzai Hekmati.

"We have seen some credible reporting that the Iranian Supreme Court has now ordered a retrial in Mr. Hekmati's case," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters.

U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos said Monday that Syria has approved a visit to the conflict-stricken country this week.

Following widespread U.N. and Security Council complaints about President Bashar al-Assad's refusal to let her in, Amos said she would arrive in Damascus on Wednesday and leave on Friday.

The U.N. atomic agency chief said Monday "activities" were ongoing at Iran's Parchin military complex, making a trip there by inspectors probing suspected weapons work soon all the more important.

"I cannot get into the details but I can tell you that we are aware that there are some activities at Parchin," Yukiya Amano told reporters at International Atomic Energy Agency headquarters in Vienna.

Former U.N. chief Kofi Annan, who has been named special envoy to Syria for the U.N. and Arab League, will head to Damascus on March 10, Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi told reporters on Monday.

Syria swiftly welcomed the visit, state television said, citing an official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Arab League on Monday named Palestinian diplomat Nasser al-Qudwa to serve as former UN chief Kofi Annan's deputy in his role as international envoy to conflict-stricken Syria.

Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi said that Qudwa, a former foreign minister, had agreed to take on "this very difficult mission during a critical time for Syria."

Iraq has completed its preparations for an Arab summit that is to be held in Baghdad at the end of March, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said in a statement on Monday.

"The president of the republic, Jalal Talabani assured today that special preparations for the Arab summit are completed, and Baghdad is now ready to receive the Arab leaders," the statement on the Iraqi presidency's website said.

Syrian forces on Monday bombarded the city of Rastan for a second straight day, monitors said, as former U.N. chief Kofi Annan and other world envoys prepared a diplomatic drive to end the bloodshed in Syria.

U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos, meanwhile, said Syria had finally approved a visit, which she would make from Wednesday to Friday, following widespread complaints about President Bashar al-Assad's refusal to let her in.

Iran's new parliament will be largely dominated by conservatives who support supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to latest results Monday of last week's election.

The parliament, also known as the Majlis, will have about half of its current members replaced by newcomers, many of whom ran on an "independent" ticket.