CAIRO, July 31, 2008 (AFP) - Arab League chief Amr Mussa has named an Egyptian diplomat to head the pan-Arab body's mission in Iraq, the league said on Thursday.

Hani Khalaf will head to Baghdad in the next few days for talks with Iraqi officials before moving there 'in the near future,' Arab League spokesman Abdel Alim al-Abyad told reporters.

UNITED NATIONS, July 28, 2008 (AFP) - South Africa and Libya on Monday pressed a proposal in the Security Council to defer a possible indictment of Sudan's president on Darfur-related genocide charges but ran into Western opposition, diplomats said.

CAIRO, July 23, 2008 (AFP) - Sudan has agreed to set up special courts to try alleged human rights abuses in Darfur which will be monitored by international bodies including the UN, an Arab League official said Wednesday.

'They agreed to establish special courts,' Hisham Yussef, chief of staff for Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa, told AFP.

KHARTOUM, July 21, 2008 (AFP) - Arab League chief Amr Mussa on Monday backed an African initiative to urge the UN Security Council to stall possible legal action against Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir.

JERUSALEM, July 21, 2008 (AFP) - Israel plans to build a new city for Arab citizens in the Galilee region, the first housing project of its kind since the creation of the Jewish state in 1948, local media reported on Monday.

The proposal for the city, whose location has still to be determined, was made by Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit and approved by the cabinet on Sunday.

JERUSALEM, July 21, 2008 (AFP) - The Israeli government plans to build a new city for Arabs in the northern region of Galilee to meet the needs of a growing population, the press reported on Monday.

The proposal for the city, whose location has still to be determined, was made by Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit and approved by the cabinet on Sunday.

KHARTOUM, July 20, 2008 (AFP) - Arab League chief Amr Mussa held talks with Sudan's President Omar al-Beshir on Sunday, armed with a plan in his pocket tipped to try to stall possible war crimes charges against the head of state.

KHARTOUM, July 20, 2008 (AFP) - Arab League chief Amr Mussa was on Sunday flying to Khartoum with a plan aimed at stalling possible legal moves against Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir for alleged genocide in Darfur.

KHARTOUM, July 20, 2008 (AFP) - Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa was to fly to Khartoum on Sunday with a plan aimed at heading off potential charges against Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir of masterminding genocide in Darfur.

CAIRO, July 19, 2008 (AFP) - The Arab League on Saturday slammed the International Criminal Court's 'unbalanced' prosecutor for seeking the arrest of Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir, saying Sudan's courts should judge alleged Darfur war crimes.