A firefight in a mainly Shiite area of eastern Saudi Arabia killed four people -- two policemen and two people wanted over violence -- on Thursday, the interior ministry said.

The police came under fire when they attempted to arrest the two wanted activists in the flashpoint Awamiya district of the oil-rich Eastern Province, said a ministry statement carried by the official SPA news agency.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas in Paris on Thursday for their second round of talks in two days.

The two men met for two hours with their teams in an upscale Parisian hotel, where Abbas hosted Kerry for dinner and late night talks on Wednesday, U.S. officials said.

Libyans went to the polls Thursday to elect a panel to draft a new constitution in the latest milestone in the chaotic political transition following the overthrow of Moammar Gadhafi.

There was none of the enthusiasm that marked Libya's first free election in July 2012 as public frustration mounts over the weak central government's failure to restore order in the wake of the Arab Spring uprising.

The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA has resumed distribution of aid at the besieged Yarmuk camp in southern Damascus, a spokesman said Thursday.

Distribution of desperately needed food and medicine was halted on February 8 after clashes broke out, but resumed Wednesday, Chris Gunness said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited Baghdad on Thursday for talks with senior Iraqi officials, including Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, that focused on weapons sales and Syria.

The visit, which follows a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egyptian army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi last week, may point to increased efforts by Moscow to expand ties with Middle Eastern countries with which Washington has had close relations.

Syrian media on Thursday accused Jordan of trying to stir up the rebel front in the south of the country with support from the United States and Saudi Arabia.

"The southern front is today the most prominent after the subject was widely discussed under the aegis of the palace in Jordan," the Al-Thawra government daily wrote.

A Tunisian jailed for posting caricatures of Prophet Mohammed online is to remain in prison despite a presidential pardon, pending a separate trial for "embezzlement", his lawyer said Thursday.

"I contacted the judge investigating the case at the court in Mahdia who confirmed the embezzlement charges relating to when Jabeur (Mejri) worked for the SNCFT (Tunisian railways)," Ahmed Mselmi told AFP.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited Baghdad on Thursday for talks with senior officials, the Iraqi foreign ministry said on its website.

The visit, which follows a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egyptian army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi last week, may point to increased efforts by Moscow to expand ties with Middle Eastern countries with which Washington has had close relations.

A Saudi court has jailed seven protesters for up to 20 years for joining a demonstration and chanting anti-government slogans in a mostly Shiite region of the kingdom, local media reported Thursday.

The Eastern Province, where Qatif is located, was the site of frequent Shiite-led protests between February 2011 and August 2012.

Libyans went to the polls on Thursday to elect a constituent assembly in the latest milestone in the chaotic political transition from the ousted dictatorship of Moammar Gadhafi.

But there was none of the voter enthusiasm that marked Libya's first free election in July 2012 as public frustration mounts over the post-Gadhafi government's failure to restore order.