2 July 2009 French Prime Minister Francois Fillon arrived in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Thursday with a delegation of officials and business leaders, an AFP journalist reported.
He was expected to meet his Iraqi counterpart, Nuri al-Maliki, before traveling to Sulaimaniyah in Iraqi Kurdistan to meet President Jalal Talabani.
2 July 2009 European aerospace and defense contractor EADS has signed a contract with Saudi Arabia to build a high-tech security fence on 9,000 kilometers (5,600 miles) of the country's border, the company said on Wednesday.
2 July 2009 Israel inflicted "wanton destruction" in the Gaza Strip during its 22-day war on the coastal enclave in December and January, Amnesty International, the London-based human rights group has said.
2 July 2009 Iran's Basij militia has asked prosecutors to investigate the role of Mir Hossein Mousavi, the defeated opposition candidate, in protests that broke out after the presidential election he maintains was rigged.
30 June 2009 Iran's Guardian Council has confirmed the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the country's president, following a partial recount of votes from the disputed presidential election of June 12.
3 June 2009 Lebanese authorities have detected forged identity cards only four days ahead of crucial parliamentary elections, which pit the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority against the Hizbullah-led alliance.
The report on evidence of dozens of fake identity cards was uncovered by Prime Minister Fouad Saniora during an ordinary Cabinet session on Tuesday.
3 June 2009 A March 14 victory in the June 7 parliamentary elections would ensure balance with Hezbollah, and the party will therefore be forced to coordinate with other political parties in the national decision-making process, said Head of the Lebanese Forces Executive Council Samir Geagea.
3 June 2009 Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar said that ID cards will be used in the June 7 parliamentary elections, because it is difficult to forge the them as they include encrypted serial numbers.
3 June 2009 A Hezbollah victory in the June 7 parliamentary elections will constitute a danger to regional and international stability, said Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Regional Development Minister Silvan Shalom at a meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday night in New York.
3 June 2009 Hizbullah's deputy secretary general has rejected accusations that a Hizbullah-led government would try to implement an Iranian-style Islamic state.
Confident of victory in Lebanese weekend elections, Sheikh Naim Qassem said Tuesday the party would invite its opponents to join a national unity government if it wins.
2 June 2009 - We have to abandon proportionality, which has been adopted in the Doha Agreement regarding cabinet formation. It is illogical to secure a number of ministers belonging to a certain political party.
