Another problem is the people of Afghanistan, said Frank Anderson, president of the Middle East Policy Council and former chief of the CIA's Near East and South Asia division.

CNN: Experts: Voter turnout could deal blow to Taliban

He's director of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution and a former assistant secretary of state for Near East Affairs.

NPR: The U.N., the U.S. and the Middle East

They discussed the importance of creating an atmosphere for peace in the Middle East and agreed to follow up in the near future on a broad range of issues of mutual interests.

WHITEHOUSE: Press Briefing

Many of you are assembling in or near the Middle East, and some crucial hours may lay ahead.

CNN: Transcript of State of the Union

The two leaders also discussed U.S.-Israeli cooperation on counterterrorism, how best to move forward in efforts to advance Middle East peace, and the recent violence near the Gaza Strip.

WHITEHOUSE: Press Briefing

From the Middle East, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak sat near each other in the cathedral.

CNN: France and the world honor Mitterrand

Economic growth, though interrupted at points by political unrest in the Middle East and by a natural disaster in Japan, should not be lower this year though, matching the near 4% rate that it measured in 2010.

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