PARIS, July 12 (UPI) -- Syrian President Bashar Assad arrived in France Saturday and met with French President Nicolas Sarkozy on the eve of a major Mediterranean summit.

BEIRUT, Lebanon, July 11 (UPI) -- Lebanese officials have organized a national unity government with 30 members, Cabinet Secretary-General Suhayl Buji said Friday.

BAGHDAD, July 9 (UPI) -- Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives in Baghdad Thursday to visit with top officials on bilateral relations, Iraqi officials said Wednesday.

BAGHDAD, July 5 (UPI) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has cautioned the United States against using Iraqi territory to carry out attacks on Iran.

TRIPOLI, Lebanon, June 23 (UPI) -- Fierce factional fighting in Tripoli, Lebanon, continued Monday for a second day as residents fled or hid in underground shelters, a security official said.

BAGHDAD, June 6 (UPI) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will discuss boosting bilateral relations with Iran during a weekend visit to Tehran, the Iraqi president said Friday.

BAGHDAD, June 3 (UPI) -- Iraqi officials Tuesday rejected any draft proposal concerning a strategic relationship with the United States that would undermine Iraqi sovereignty.

BAGHDAD, May 31 (UPI) -- Thousands of people across Iraq protested a government proposal to extend the presence of U.S. troops in the country, officials say.

GAZA, May 31 (UPI) -- Israeli soldiers attacked a Hamas base in the Gaza Strip early Saturday, Palestinian authorities said.