Iraq's premier led a landmark cabinet meeting in the country's Kurdish region on Sunday to defuse tensions linked to a multitude of disputes that diplomats warn are among its biggest threats to stability.

The long-running rows have provoked sharp exchanges between the two sides, and while no tangible measures were agreed at the meeting, the mere fact that talks took place was seen as a positive sign.

A leading Iranian conservative clerical group has endorsed veteran diplomat Ali Akbar Velayati to succeed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the June 14 presidential election, a media report said on Sunday.

The Mehr news agency said a majority of members of the Qom Seminary Scholars Association at a meeting on Saturday gave their support to Velayati, quoting group chief Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi, a former conservative head of the judiciary.

A suicide car bomb targeting a Baghdad police station killed six people on Sunday, the latest in a string of bombings and attacks that have revived fears of all-out sectarian war in Iraq.

The blast, which struck during morning rush hour in the mostly-Shiite neighborhood of Kadhimiyah, went off near a branch of the Istikbarat, a department of the police responsible for intelligence, according to security and medical officials.

Clashes in Libya's second city of Benghazi between former rebels and anti-militia demonstrators killed at least 31 people and wounded more than 100, the LANA news agency said on Sunday.

It cited a statement from Al-Jala hospital in the eastern city -- cradle of the revolution that toppled dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011 -- as giving the new toll from Saturday's clashes, up from 28 dead.

Iran elects on Friday a successor to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose eight years in office have been marked by stiff Western sanctions over Tehran's controversial nuclear drive and the economic turmoil they have caused.

When Ahmadinejad was re-elected for a second term in 2009, widespread charges of voter fraud sparked massive street protests.

Syria's main opposition coalition reiterated on Saturday its refusal to participate in proposed international peace talks, saying recent developments in the civil war had "closed the doors" to any political initiative.

"What is happening in Syria today completely shuts the doors on any discussions about international conferences and political initiatives," George Sabra, head of the opposition National Coalition,said at a press conference in Istanbul.

Iran's media on Saturday hailed the latest televised debate of presidential candidates, highlighting sharp exchanges among them on topics such as the nuclear issue and political freedom.

"The differences among the candidates are clear. The final sprint has begun," said leading economic daily Donya-e Eqtesad about the debate on Friday evening.

Sudan's opposition alliance announced on Saturday a 100-day plan for the peaceful overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir, who has been in power for more than two decades.

"I expect the regime will fall before the 100 days finish," said Farouk Abu Issa, who represents more than 20 opposition parties.

A Yemeni court on Saturday ordered a new probe into the alleged involvement of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh in the killing of 45 protesters during the 2011 uprising against his rule.

The court ordered that 12 other Saleh-era officials be questioned on the same March 18 incident during which the ex-autocrat's loyalists and troops opened fire on an anti-regime rally in the capital.

Syrian media and opposition activists said Saturday that a car bomb exploded in the central city of Homs, causing casualties.

The Syrian state-owned Al-Ikhbariya TV said the blast in the city's southern al-Nozah neighborhood was a suicide bomb. It reported casualties but did not give a number.