RAMALLAH —  Both Israeli and Syrian officials yesterday denied reports in the Israeli media that the two countries had reached the outlines of a peace agreement in secret talks over the past two years.

KUWAIT CITY (AFP) — US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and eight Arab counterparts called on Iran Tuesday not to meddle in Iraq’s affairs after discussing Washington’s plan to quell sectarian violence in the country, Kuwait’s foreign minister said.

MOGADISHU (AP) — The first African peacekeepers to help the government assert its authority in Somalia are expected by the end of January, the prime minister said Tuesday.