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Riyadh Presses Syria on Arab League Plan

Saudi Arabia on Monday pressed the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to conform fully with an Arab League plan aimed at ending his government's deadly crackdown on dissent.

A statement after a cabinet meeting chaired by Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz urged Damascus to "hold fully to its commitments" in accepting a League plan to end the crisis, and hailed the pan-Arab bloc's efforts to do so.

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Bahrain Admits 'Excessive Force' against Protests

Bahrain admitted on Monday "excessive force" was used on pro-democracy protesters earlier this year as tension escalates two days ahead of the unveiling of a probe into the deadly crackdown.

Bahrain's Independent Commission of Inquiry, commissioned by King Hamad, will on Wednesday unveil the results of its investigation into alleged government misconduct during the February-March crackdown on Shiite-led protests.

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'Ennahda' Effect Expected to Help Islamists in Morocco Vote

As Islamists move closer to power in Tunisia, it is Morocco's turn to go to the polls to elect a new parliament Friday that will likely hand a majority of seats to another Islamist party.

The high-stakes vote comes a few months after Moroccans overwhelmingly approved a July referendum on constitutional reform hastily called by King Mohamed VI as neighboring autocratic regimes toppled.

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France Condemns Egypt Deaths, Calls for Vote as Planned

France on Monday condemned the killing of pro-democracy protesters in Egypt and called for elections to be held as planned next week in order for the country's democratic transition to succeed.

"France is deeply concerned by the clashes in recent days. It condemns the violence that led to the deaths of over 20 demonstrators," foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero told journalists.

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Egypt Culture Minister Quits over Tahrir Clashes

Egypt's culture minister has resigned in protest at the government response to demonstrations in Cairo's Tahrir Square in which more than 20 people have died, the official MENA agency said on Monday.

Emad Abu Ghazi handed his resignation to the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces -- which took power when Hosni Mubarak was ousted in February -- "in protest at the government's handling of the recent events in Tahrir Square," MENA said.

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Egypt Police Officer Killed in Sinai Shooting

One police officer was killed and another injured in Egypt's Sinai on Monday during clashes with members of an Islamist group suspected of attacks on a pipeline, a security official said.

Police officers in the north Sinai town of el-Arish were preparing to arrest individuals suspected of belonging to the Islamist al-Takfeer wal Hijra, when they were shot at and clashes ensued killing one officer and wounding another, the official said.

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Erdogan Warns Assad ‘Your Days are Numbered’

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Syrian President Bashar Assad Monday that his days as leader were numbered and he cannot remain in power indefinitely through military force.

After reports that two buses carrying Turkish pilgrims came under attack in Syria, Erdogan said his one-time ally's defiant refusal to end a bloody crackdown on protesters had increased the prospects of foreign intervention.

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Yemen Colonel Killed as Tribesmen Overrun Base

A top Yemeni army officer was killed in battle between elite troops and dissident tribesmen who took over a strategic military base north of Sanaa, the defense ministry and tribal sources said Monday.

"Colonel Abdulsalam al-Sufyani, head of operations of the Third Brigade" was killed in an attack on the brigade's base in Arhab, 40 kilometers north of the capital, defense ministry website26sep.net reported.

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Iranian No-Show at U.N. Mideast Atomic Forum

Iran angrily stayed away Monday from a U.N. atomic agency forum on creating a Middle East free of nuclear weapons, amid growing tensions over Tehran's suspected efforts to develop the bomb.

Iran's ambassador to the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ali Asghar Soltanieh said Tehran's decision was its "first reaction" to the body's "inappropriate" recent report on its nuclear program.

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Russia Accuses West of 'Provocation' over Syria

Russia on Monday accused the West of provocative behavior in the Syrian crisis, saying Western countries were telling the opposition to forget dialogue with President Bashar Assad.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the West's behavior in this respect was "similar to a political provocation at an international level", news agencies reported.

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