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78 Dead as Syria Says 'Interested in Exploring' Eid Ceasefire and Opposition Welcomes 'Any Truce'

The Syrian government is interested in exploring a ceasefire in the 19-month conflict as proposed by international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Maqdisi said on Tuesday, as the opposition Syrian National Council said it “would welcome any halt to the killings.”

Maqdisi stressed that for a halt to the violence, the rebels and their backers would need to be involved too.

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SANA: Syria to Hold By-Election for Five Parliament Seats

Syria will hold by-elections on December 1 to fill five seats in parliament, two of which became vacant when sitting MPs defected to the opposition, state news agency SANA said.

"President Bashar Assad has passed a decree calling for the organization of parliamentary elections for December 1 to fill five empty seats," SANA said.

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Abbas to Obama: Talks with Israel after U.N. Statehood Vote

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas has told the United States that he intends to resume peace talks with Israel if his bid to win U.N. non-member recognition for Palestine succeeds.

"President Mahmud Abbas sent a letter to U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday, in which he affirms the commitment of the Palestinian side to the two-state option," official Palestinian news agency WAFA quoted Abbas political adviser Nimr Hammad as saying.

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Jordan Sets General Election for January 23

Jordan's electoral authority on Tuesday set January 23 as the date for a general election, state media said, after King Abdullah II dissolved parliament in a bid to pave the way for sweeping reforms.

"In line with a royal decree to hold the upcoming parliamentary elections, the Independent Election Commission decided today to set the vote for Wednesday, January 23," the commission said in a statement carried by Petra news agency.

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Palestinians Block Road over Settlers, Access

Palestinians briefly blocked a West Bank highway on Tuesday in protest at settler attacks and to demand its opening to local traffic, an AFP correspondent and the army said.

The correspondent said around 100 Palestinian demonstrators, along with Israeli and foreign activists, gathered on route 443 near Beit Ur village, five kilometres (three miles) west of Ramallah, blocking traffic on a key road linking Jerusalem with the coastal plain.

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Tunisian Parties in Crisis Talks on Delayed Constitution

Tunisian political parties met on Tuesday for crisis talks on the contents and calendar for adopting a new constitution, which were attended by the Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali and President Moncef Marzouki.

The meeting, called by Tunisia's main trade union, the UGTT, gathered more than 40 political groups in a bid to resolve the impasse over drafting the text by the National Constituent Assembly, but was boycotted by two key parties.

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U.S. Official in Ankara for Syria Talks

A senior U.S. official will hold talks in Ankara on Tuesday on a range of issues including the Syrian crisis amid heightened tensions between Ankara and Damascus, an embassy spokesman said.

"We continue to consult with our partners in the region including Turkey on a variety of issues related to Syria," U.S. embassy spokesman in Ankara T.J. Grubisha told AFP.

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Cairo Asks Syria to Clarify Egyptian Deaths

Egypt's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that it has asked Syria to clarify circumstances in which three Egyptians were killed in fighting in Aleppo and Homs.

The ministry said it sent an "urgent message" to Damascus demanding an explanation for the death of the men, after Syria said one of them headed an armed group in rural Aleppo.

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Tomb of Israeli General Moshe Dayan Vandalized

Vandals daubed offensive graffiti on the grave of celebrated Israeli general and war veteran Moshe Dayan overnight, his family said on Tuesday.

Dayan, who served as defense minister during the 1967 Six Day War and the 1973 Yom Kippor, died of a heart attack exactly 31 years ago, on October 16, 1981, and was buried in a cemetery in Nahalal moshav near the northern city of Nazareth.

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Egypt Probes Islamists over Tahrir Clash

Egypt's state prosecutor has asked the general intelligence service and Interior Ministry to provide possible evidence in a probe of Islamists over clashes with liberals last week, state media said Tuesday.

The prosecutor was acting on 53 complaints, some against senior members of President Mohammed Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood movement, of orchestrating Friday's unrest in which dozens of people were injured, Al-Akhbar newspaper reported.

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