The European Union intends to go all out to try reactivate the Middle East peace process in the first six months of this year, the EU’s foreign policy chief Javier Solana said Friday, warning that it was crucial to do so before the United States enters its campaign period for the 2008 presidential elections.

After declaring victory in Israeli elections, acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s Kadima Party said today it would quickly form a broad ruling coalition that will pull out of much of the West Bank and draw Israel’s borders by 2010.

Saddam Hussein has urged Arab leaders to support Iraqi insurgents, warning that an ”American-Israeli conspiracy” aims to split Iraq into pieces, according to a letter the former Iraqi leader purportedly wrote that appeared on the Internet.

Foreign ministers and diplomats from 21 Arab countries and the Palestinian Authority met in Cairo, Egypt, today to begin talks on reforming the 60-year-old Arab League and rewriting its charter.

In a move full of political consequence, the magistrate investigating the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri has asked to be relieved.

Egypt today offered to host a new meeting of Arab leaders, but the head of the Arab League said there were no immediate plans to do so following the collapse of the Arab summit two days before its scheduled opening.

ISLAMIC leaders will gather in Qatar tomorrow Wednesday for an emergency summit in yet another 11th-hour bid by a regional organisation to convince the US to forgo plans to invade and occupy Iraq.

Libya today recalled its ambassador to Saudi Arabia for consultations following a heated and public exchange of insults between Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi and Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah at an Arab summit.

Israel declared Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat an enemy today and sent tanks and troops charging into his compound in the West Bank town of Ramallah, sparking a battle with security forces.

The Arab summit has failed to reach an agreement on how to resolve the conflict between Iraq and Kuwait.