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U.N. Chief Says Homs Onslaught an Affront to 'Humanity'

U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said Monday he was appalled by the Syrian government's intensified onslaught on the protest city of Homs which he called "unacceptable before humanity."

Ban joined a growing global chorus of condemnation of President Bashar al-Assad's actions since a U.N. Security Council resolution on Syria was vetoed by Russia and China on Saturday.

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U.S. Official to Visit Moscow for Talks on Syria, Iran

A senior Treasury Department official will travel to Russia and the Middle East for talks about sanctions on Syria and Iran, the U.S. government said Monday, days after Moscow vetoed U.N. action against Damascus.

The Treasury Department's assistant secretary for terrorist financing Daniel Glaser will visit Doha, Muscat and Moscow from February 6-10.

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Kuwait Emir Asks Outgoing PM to Form Cabinet

The Kuwaiti emir on Monday asked outgoing Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak al-Sabah to form a new government following a general election won by the Islamist-led opposition.

Sheikh Jaber, a senior member of the ruling al-Sabah family, submitted the resignation of his two-month-old cabinet on Sunday, as required by the constitution after a general election.

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Egypt Presidential Race to Open Mid-March

Candidates for Egypt's first presidential election since the ouster of veteran leader Hosni Mubarak can start registering from March 15, a month earlier than expected, the head of the elections committee said on Monday.

"Registration for the presidential election will begin on March 15," Farouq Sultan said, according to the state-run MENA news agency.

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'God Help Us': Appeal from Syria's Homs

Residents of Homs on Monday described scenes of panic and carnage in the city of central Syria undergoing a fierce assault by government troops, urging outside powers to intervene to halt the bloodshed.

"What is happening is indescribable," said Wael, a resident reached by telephone. "Security forces have been relentlessly shelling the city since this morning.

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Netanyahu Slams Hamas-Fatah Deal

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will have chosen to "abandon the path of peace" if he implements a reconciliation deal with Hamas signed on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned.

He issued the warning shortly after Abbas and Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal inked the deal in Qatar that will see the Palestinian president serve as the head of an interim consensus government in the run-up to elections this year.

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U.S. Shuts Embassy in Syria, Obama Says Crisis Can Be Solved without Military Action

The United States closed its embassy in Syria and pulled out all its staff on Monday amid growing security concerns as President Bashar al-Assad's government intensifies its bloody crackdown.

Britain also recalled its envoy, but U.S. President Barack Obama stressed the importance of diplomacy and said it was a very different situation from Libya, where Western military intervention helped oust Moammar Gadhafi.

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Opposition Urges Protests outside All Syrian Embassies

The opposition Syrian National Council on Monday urged Syrians around the world to hold protests outside their embassies, accusing the regime of "genocide" in Homs.

"We call on everyone to surround Syrian embassies and stage sit-ins outside them," the SNC said in a statement received by Agence France Presse.

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Saudi Arabia Urges 'Critical Measures' on Syria

Saudi Arabia on Monday called for "critical measures" to be taken on Syria, warning of an impending "humanitarian disaster" after the U.N. Security Council failed to pass a resolution on the crisis there.

"The U.N. Security Council's failure to pass a resolution in support of the Arab Initiative must not prevent the taking of critical measures to protect innocent lives and stop the bloodshed and all acts of violence that threaten serious consequences for the Syrian people and regional stability," a cabinet statement said.

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Turkey Says Upset by Rejection of U.N. Resolution on Syria

Turkish President Abdullah Gul on Monday expressed his country's disappointment over the veto by China and Russia of a U.N. resolution on the Syrian crisis, saying that the cold war era was over.

"I'd like to say that we are upset about the vote at the United Nations," Gul told a televised news conference with his South Korean counterpart, Lee Myung-Bak.

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