Seven Turkish troops were killed and almost 60 others were wounded Tuesday in a rocket assault on their military convoy in Turkey's southeast, according to local security sources.

The military convoy was hit by Kurdish rebel rockets on the highway on the outskirts of southeastern Bingol province, sparking a fire that wounded 58 soldiers aboard an army bus.

The international peace envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi on Tuesday met Syrians staying at a Turkish refugee camp in his first encounter since taking over the mission from his frustrated predecessor.

The U.N.-Arab League envoy met representatives of some 1,300 Syrians at Altinozu camp in Hatay city, located on the border with their violence-racked homeland.

Foreign ministers of the regional "contact group" on Syria agreed at talks in Cairo to hold more consultations in New York later this month, the official MENA news agency reported on Tuesday.

The top diplomats of Egypt, Turkey and Iran met in Cairo to discuss developments in conflict-stricken Syria, but Saudi Arabia, which is also a member of the group, was notably absent from the meeting.

Interior Minister Marwan Charbel stressed on Tuesday that the coordination between Lebanese and Turkish authorities to set free Lebanese men held hostage in Syria was ongoing.

In remarks to al-Liwaa newspaper, Charbel confirmed the cooperation between the Lebanese and Turkish governments, while denying any new development on the case.

The international peace envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi will travel to Turkey on Tuesday to visit a refugee camp near the Syrian border, a Turkish foreign ministry official told Agence France Presse.

Brahimi, who just spent four days in neighboring Syria, will meet the refugees at the Altinozu camp in Hatay province, the official said Monday on condition of anonymity.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton will meet Iran's top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili in Istanbul on Tuesday as tensions mount over Tehran's disputed atomic program, her office said.

The meeting "is part of continuing efforts to engage with Iran, led by the High Representative, and in line with the understandings reached at the negotiating round in Moscow in June", a spokeswoman said on Monday.

Greece must "fortify" itself against illegal immigration, fearing a new wave from conflict-torn Syria, the public order minister said on Monday as officials reported pressure on maritime borders.

"Measures were discussed... to fortify the Aegean Sea," Public Order Minister Nikos Dendias told reporters after a meeting with Prime Minister Antonis Samaras that also included the ministers of defense and shipping.

The top U.S. general on Monday discussed the Syrian crisis with officials in Ankara, as Turkey's premier criticized Washington for inaction over the conflict.

General Martin Dempsey's visit is part of an "operational planning" mechanism established between Turkey and the United States to prepare for the aftermath of Syrian President Bashar Assad's embattled regime.

Foreign ministers of the Syria "contact group" were to hold their first high-level meeting on Monday in Cairo, Egypt's Foreign Ministry said.

The top diplomats of "Egypt, Turkey and Iran will meet at the foreign ministry to discuss developments in Syria on the political and humanitarian fronts," the ministry said in a statement.

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili met on Monday with Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to discuss the resumption of international talks over Tehran's atomic program, a diplomatic source said.

"Jalili wanted to come to Turkey to discuss the latest developments on the Iranian nuclear issue," the source told Agence France Presse on condition of anonymity.