Middle Orient

CAIRO — After 24 years as Egyptian president where his grip on power has been almost unchallenged, Hosni Mubarak will have to face up to unprecedented demands for reform if he wins a historic fifth term. Mubarak — one of the longest serving leaders in the Arab world — moved …

PARIS (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon met with France’s foreign minister Thursday for talks on Israel’s upcoming withdrawal from the Gaza Strip as the two countries tried to forget years of diplomatic tension and enter a new, friendlier period of relations. The morning talks between Sharon and Philippe …

GAZA CITY (AFP) — Factions pledged Thursday to work with the Palestinian Authority to ensure the success of Israel’s historic pullout from the Gaza Strip next month, Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia said. A recent wave of deadly violence has compounded fears that Israel’s pullout will be marred by attacks and …

EREZ CROSSING, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel is beefing up its border with the Gaza Strip after next month’s withdrawal, the army said Thursday, disclosing details of a high-tech triple complex to ring the coastal strip with what they hope will be the world’s most impenetrable barrier. The barrier system …

CAIRO (AFP) — Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Thursday confirmed he will seek a fifth mandate in the country’s first-ever competitive presidential poll in September, ending months of speculation about his future. Mubarak’s announcement comes at a pivotal moment for Egypt as it copes with the aftermath of the Sharm …

BAGHDAD (AFP) — Insurgents set off a huge blaze when they blew up a train carrying petroleum products in Baghdad on Thursday, as governments around the world condemned the murder of two Algerian diplomats kidnapped last week. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari accused the insurgents of seeking to undermine diplomatic …

BRITISH ANTI-TERRORIST officers arrested nine men in dawn raids Thursday in connection with the botched July 21 bomb attacks on London’s transit system as police warned of “a race against time” to hunt down the bombers. And the dragnet in the Sharm El Sheikh terror attacks widened Thursday as police …

BELFAST (AP) — The Irish Republican Army, which killed and maimed thousands in a 35-year campaign against British rule, on Thursday renounced violence as a political weapon, a move hailed by the British and Irish governments as a decisive step towards a permanent peace. British Prime Minister Tony Blair called …

TEHRAN – Expediency Council (EC) Chairman Ak-bar Hashemi Rafsanjani here Tuesday said that his re¬marks do not aim to restore his personal rights but are meant to effect reform. He underlined that he will take any necessary measure to support the future government. Speaking at a gathering of the electoral …

TEHRAN – President elect Mahmoud Ah-madinejad said here Tuesday that Iran’s foreign policy is based on clear principles, stressing the world should respect the will of the Iranian nation. In a meeting with Foreign Minister Kamal Khar-razi and his deputies, Ah-madinejad said those governments respecting such an important principle in …