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France Demands U.N. Protection for Syria 'Liberated Zones'

French President Francois Hollande on Tuesday called for U.N. protection for "liberated zones" under opposition control in Syria.

Hollande made the call in a speech to the U.N. General Assembly in which he said the Syrian conflict, Iran's nuclear drive and the terrorist threat in Mali and the Sahel region were major emergencies facing the world.

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Qatar Leader Calls for Arab Military Intervention in Syria

The emir of Qatar on Tuesday called for an Arab intervention force to be sent to Syria to halt the escalating conflict.

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, a key backer of the Syrian opposition, made the call at the U.N. General Assembly after U.N. leader Ban Ki-moon said the conflict had become "calamity" that threatens global peace.

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Germany Urges U.N. to Unite on Syria and Iran

Germany urged the world community meeting at the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Tuesday to stand together to find a way to end the war in Syria and stop Iran from getting a nuclear bomb.

Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said Iran should face tougher economic sanctions targeting its financial, trade, transport and energy sectors to force it to engage in serious negotiations on its alleged weapons program.

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Iraq Approves Syria Assistance

Iraq's cabinet on Tuesday decided to provide humanitarian aid to war-torn Syria and launch a relief campaign via the Iraqi Red Crescent, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said in a statement.

The cabinet decided "to provide humanitarian aid and begin a popular campaign of humanitarian relief for the brotherly people of Syria, via the Iraqi Red Crescent," Dabbagh said, without providing further details.

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Ban: Syria 'Calamity' a Threat to World Peace

U.N. leader Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday that the Syrian civil war is a "calamity" that now threatens world peace and demands action by the divided U.N. Security Council.

Ban told the opening of the U.N. General Assembly that the Syria conflict "is a regional calamity with global ramifications" that needs action by the Security Council.

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Regime Claims Aleppo District as 85 Killed in Syria

The Damascus regime said its forces recaptured a strategic district of Aleppo city, a claim rejected by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights which gave an nationwide toll of 85 people killed nationwide on Tuesday.

At least three children were also killed in the country, including a six-year-old killed by soldiers who opened fire on the car she was in on the motorway linking Aleppo to Damascus, the Britain-based watchdog said.

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Morsi to Discuss Syria in Turkey Visit

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi will travel to Turkey on Sunday for discussions expected to focus on the conflict in Syria, state media reported.

Morsi's visit will be his first to Turkey since he became Egypt's first democratically elected civilian president in June.

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Meshaal Determined to Step down from Hamas Leadership

Khaled Meshaal, the head of the Hamas movement, has reaffirmed his decision to relinquish leadership of the group, Hamas officials said on Tuesday.

The movement in January announced its longtime leader-in-exile was ready to step down from his post, but said members were hoping he would reconsider his decision.

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Jordan Nabs Zarqawi Nephew on Syria Border

A top Islamist lawyer said on Tuesday the nephew of slain Al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was among six jihadists arrested in Jordan last week as they tried to cross into Syria.

"Jordanian border guards on Saturday arrested six mujahedeen, including Abu Asyad, the nephew of Zarqawi, as they attempted to go to Syria for jihad," Musa Abdullat, a leading lawyer for Islamist groups, told AFP.

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Blasts Hit Military Complex in Damascus

Powerful explosions shook a military administration building on Tuesday in the Syrian capital Damascus, causing casualties, Syrian Observatory of Human Rights watchdog reported.

"The bombs exploded on Tuesday morning in the headquarters of the administration that manages schools for the children of martyred soldiers," at the start of the Damascus airport road, Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told Agence France Presse.

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