Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul vowed Tuesday to defend the country’s secular traditions as he announced a fresh bid for the presidency despite deep-rooted opposition over his Islamist past.

Libya’s critics were furious at what they called a hasty and cynical rush for closer ties between the West and Muammar Qadhafi’s government after it freed six foreign medics in July.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday rejected US and British claims that Iranian weapons are being supplied to Taliban insurgents fighting the Afghan government and international troops.