Guatemala today repeatedly failed to muster the necessary votes to beat out Venezuela for a Latin American seat on the UN Security Council, prompting diplomats to demand a compromise candidate be put forward.

Arab nations have asked for a United Nations Security Council ministerial meeting next month to launch a new effort to settle all Arab-Israeli conflicts and restore peace to the Middle East.

The United Nations has received pledges of 3,500 troops for an expanded peacekeeping force in Lebanon, but it is unclear whether the soldiers represent the right mix of countries and units that could deploy quickly.

SYRIAN Foreign Minister Farouq al-Shara has said his government is willing to sign a treaty making the entire Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction.