Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Tuesday the United Nations had abruptly withdrawn Tehran's invitation to highly anticipated peace talks on Syria "under pressure".
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem will visit Russia ahead of the Geneva 2 peace talks on the crisis due to begin in Switzerland later this month, Damascus's ambassador to Moscow said Monday.
US Secretary of State John Kerry discussed his push to advance peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians with Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, an ultra-nationalist who doubts a deal to end the decades-old conflict is possible.
Former British Foreign Secretary and a present member of the UK Parliament Jack Straw said he supported Tehran's rights under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
As Syrian peace talks in Geneva appear to flounder, President Barack Obama on Friday vowed to apply more pressure on the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
US Secretary of State John Kerry slammed Russia on Monday for "enabling" Syria's President Bashar al-Assad to stay in power in the war-torn country, after Geneva peace talks broke off without result at the weekend.
Israel and its US ally have hit a troubled patch in their close relationship, caused by differences over Iran's nuclear plans and peace with the Palestinians.
MOSCOW, Sept 23, 2014 (AFP) - The prime minister of the self-proclaimed People's Republic of Donetsk said Tuesday that rebels have removed artillery from frontline areas where Ukraine had also withdrawn, in line with a peace plan signed Saturday.
Russia awaits for Ukraine's President Pyotr Poroshenko to stop the military operation in the country's east and to facilitate a peaceful settlement of the conflict, Russian Ambassador to Ukraine Mikhail Zurabov said after Poroshenko's inauguration on Saturday.
Ukraine's interim leaders were set to join prayers for peace Saturday on the eve of a crucial presidential vote that Russian President Vladimir Putin has pledged to respect.