* Hopes rise for end to bloody conflict
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Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the most senior Shia cleric in Iraq, unexpectedly returned to his homeland yesterday after nearly three weeks overseas during which anarchy has rapidly taken hold.
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Northern Ireland peace talks are set to continue today as hopes grow for a final deal on IRA disarmament and restoring devolution.
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Rising violence is eroding Afghan optimism, but a majority are hopeful for the future, an ABC/BBC poll finds.
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The United Nations, United States, European Union and Russia expressed hope Friday that a Palestinian accord on sharing power in a coalition government would end months of deadly factional violence.
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A cease-fire between northern fighters and the government is expected to be signed Friday.
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Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish leaders called Sunday for an end to Iraq's sectarian conflict and vowed to track down those responsible for the war's deadliest attack.
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A new cease-fire and a strikingly conciliatory speech by Israel's prime minister are raising hopes for progress in Mideast peacemaking.
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government forces and will soon unveil plans to pursue his goals through politics rather than conflict, aides say. this year, to renounce violence and to enter the political arena ahead of elections due to be held in January.
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BAGHDAD -- The relative lull in violence is a promising sign that the Baghdad security plan is off to a good start, the Iraqi prime minister said yesterday, while a top US military official cautioned that it might be a temporary letup as militant organizations assess the new measures and gear up to fight back.
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If there&#039;s hope to be found in the war in Iraq, &quot;Baghdad ER&quot; is a good place to look.
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Palestinian mediators are hopeful a deal will be reached soon to end a month of fighting between Lebanese troops and al Qaeda-inspired militants entrenched in a refugee camp, political sources said on Tuesday.
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HOPES of a final breakthrough to end paramilitary violence in Northern Ireland collapsed within sight of success yesterday. With agreement close, and the IRA having at last agreed to give up all its weapons
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Kabul - Militants who have threatened to kill three UN workers kidnapped in Afghanistan were due to open talks with government negotiators on Sunday, raising hopes for a peaceful solution to the 10-day-old crisis.
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While violence was largely over, people worried about how a round of deadly infighting postponed hope for an independent and unified Palestinian state.
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Once again, hope flickers in the Middle East. There are encouraging signs that the death of Yasser Arafat is breathing life into hopes of reviving the peace process that Arafat had abandoned.
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As a ceasefire nears, the government and rebels may sidestep war crimes tribunals and set up a separate, if imperfect, peace
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JERUSALEM The arrival in the Middle East of Arun Gandhi, preaching his grandfather Mahatma Gandhi&#39;s message of love, brotherhood and nonviolence to conflict-weary Israelis and Palestinians, has raised tentative hopes that the bloody conflict may be