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Pope Francis met Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Saturday, calling him “an angel of peace,” days after the Vatican said it was preparing to sign its first accord with Palestine to the anger of Israel. Abbas met the pontiff for about 20 minutes for a private audience, a meeting that comes a day before the pope is due to canonise two Palestinian nuns, who will become the first Palestinian Arabs to gain sainthood.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday night call for an immediate end of Israeli military strikes in the Gaza Strip. Abbas also urged the international community to intervene instantly to put an end to the Israeli attacks which, he cautioned, would plunge the region into more destruction and instability. Abbas affirmed the need to maintain the truce in the Gaza Strip to "save the lives of our people and their property and spare the innocent." He said that the PA leadership was holding contacts with several Arab and international parties...

RAMALLAH, West Bank : Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas was hospitalised urgently in Ramallah, medical sources said. The sources did not provide any additional information about his health condition or the reason for his hospitalisation. - AFP/de

Russia's hydrocarbon geopolitics By Sergei Blagov MOSCOW - Russia is moving towards building new geopolitical muscle based on its huge oil and gas riches: this week Moscow conceded that its policy, notably in the Middle East, has been strongly connected with energy considerations. "The situation in the Middle East influences the world economy, notably one sector in which Russia holds a special position, the energy sector. This and many other things determine our proactive approach in the Middle East," Russian President Vladimir Putin said after talks with visiting Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas on January 31. In response, Abbas told Putin...

PARIS, Jan 16 (AFP) - French President Jacques Chirac on Sunday invited new Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas to Paris for talks "as soon as possible," pledging support for his efforts to revive the moribund peace process with Israel. Chirac's spokesman, Jerome Bonnafont, said the president telephoned Abbas to tell him: "France will do everything possible to help you in carrying out your mission." He also said French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier would visit Israel and the Palestinian territories at a date yet to be fixed. "The discussion also covered the fight against terrorism and the improvement of economic and social...

In a policy speech, he says US will listen to all comments on a UN resolution as long as they are consistent with its overall goals WASHINGTON - The United States is willing to adjust its proposed new UN resolution on Iraq to address the concerns of countries like France and Germany, but will not budge on its basic principles, US Secretary of State Colin Powell said yesterday. Mr Powell said Washington would not back down on the draft resolution's two key points: the authorisation of a US-led multinational force for Iraq and a call for Iraqis to present their...

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AFP) - The Palestinian parliament is set to make a key decision this week defining the powers of a new prime minister, with PLO moderate Mahmud Abbas set to take the post in a move which could see Yasser Arafat relegated to a largely ceremonial role. Israel is cautiously awaiting the result, which some analysts say could be a watershed in efforts to see Arafat sidelined, but which Palestinian officials see as a sign of groundswell of domestic democratic reform. Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, has been a strong critic of the militarisation of the...