"The two parties agreed to call on all Palestinian factions to implement the reconciliation agreement, " Izzat al-Rishq, a member of Hamas' political bureau and a participant in the Cairo talks, told the AFP news agency.

BBC: Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah agree on unity deal

The League threatened Syria with sanctions earlier this month after President Bashar al-Assad repeatedly failed to implement steps to end the violence, including allowing international observers to enter Syria.

BBC: Syria unrest: Arab League adopts sanctions in Cairo

The INS had been under intense pressure from US Congress to implement the system following the revelations that Mohammed Atta of Egypt and Marwan al-Shehhi of the United Arab Emirates - thought to have flown two passenger planes into the World Trade Center - were granted visas.

BBC: US to track foreign students

Many Saudi observers took note earlier this month when one of the kingdom's best-selling dailies, Al-Riyadh, devoted a long article to exploring how to implement a lifting of the driving ban.

ECONOMIST: With the king��s permission, the debate is hotting up

As talk of the need for international observers increased, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad did not have the luxury to pick and choose what to implement in the peace plan.

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