The trial opened in Egypt on Sunday of a Jordanian and Israeli charged with spying for the Jewish state's intelligence services and was swiftly adjourned to next week, an Agence France Presse reporter said.

The Israeli defendant was being tried in absentia.

The Palestinians on Sunday dismissed Israel's welcome of a Quartet call for the resumption of peace talks, saying the peace proposal requires Israel to halt settlement construction.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat, speaking to Agence France Presse from Cairo, said a statement issued by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office was "an exercise in deceiving the international community."

Syrian opposition movements meeting in Turkey said in a statement on Sunday they had formed a common front uniting all groups that oppose the regime of President Bashar Assad.

"The Syrian Council is open to all Syrians. It is an independent group personifying the sovereignty of the Syrian people in their struggle for liberty," Paris-based Burhan Ghalioun told reporters.

Israel on Sunday welcomed a call from the international Quartet for peace talks to resume, saying it had some "concerns" but urging the Palestinians to begin negotiations "without delay."

"Israel welcomes the Quartet's call for direct negotiations between the parties without preconditions, as called for by both (U.S.) President (Barack) Obama and Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu," a statement from the premier's office said.

U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford should stop meddling in Syrian affairs if he wants to avoid more 'rotten eggs' attacks in the future, a state-run Syrian newspaper warned on Sunday.

The Al Baath newspaper, a mouthpiece of the Syrian regime, accused Ford of supporting armed anti-government groups in Syria and said his meddling will not be tolerated.

Two roadside bombs in a former al-Qaida stronghold north of Baghdad on Sunday killed six people, including four anti-Qaida militiamen, a police officer and a doctor said.

Two Sahwa, or Awakening Council, fighters were initially killed when their car was struck by a roadside bomb at around 9:30 am (0630 GMT) in the Al-Nibaie area, north of the town of Mashaada, 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the capital, police First Lieutenant Uday Sarhan said.

At least 25 soldiers have been killed in a friendly fire incident and clashes with militants linked to al-Qaida in south Yemen, security officials said on Sunday.

The officials said some of the soldiers were killed in a strike by the Yemeni air force that mistakenly hit a school in the southern town of Zinjibar.

Syrian authorities said Sunday they have restored law and order to a rebellious central town after hunting down armed "terrorists" holed up inside.

State-run news agency SANA said life is back to normal in Rastan after five days of intense fighting between the military and forces opposed to President Bashar Assad.

At least 10,000 missiles are unaccounted for in Libya, a senior NATO official has admitted according to a German media report on Sunday, amid fears the weapons could fall into the hands of al-Qaida.

News weekly Der Spiegel reported on its website that Admiral Giampaolo di Paola, who chairs the committee of NATO military chiefs, held a secret briefing for German MPs on Monday, in which he expressed the alliance's concerns.

The Palestinians need to show flexibility and get back to the negotiating table, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said in an interview with Egypt's Al-Hayat TV released Saturday.

Asked about the Palestinians' quest for full recognition at the United Nations, the top U.S. diplomat appeared to try to downplay the importance of the ongoing effort, which Washington opposes and has promised to veto.