From Washington,this is VOA News.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met in Paris Monday to plan for Syrian peace talks later this month. The two ,however, could not agree on inviting Iran to join those talks.

VOA's Scott Stearns reports.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has no bigger ally than Iran. So his government says it expects Iran will be invited to planned peace talks in Geneva "just like any other state."
 
Secretary Kerry said he hopes Iran comes forward to support that "mutual consent".
 
"A country that has had a long-term relationship with Assad and with Syria has a huge ability to be able to have an impact if they want to have the right impact."
 
Speaking to a translator, Lavrov said the talks should not be jeopardized by outstanding differences between the United States and Iran.
 
"One can not be influenced by ideological sentiments so much that it harms the interest of the cause."
 
Scott Stearns VOA News Paris.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is urging Iraqi leaders to address the root causes for a surge of bloodshed in the country.

Al-Qaida-linked militants have seized control of two key cities while violence between minority Sunnis and the Shi'ite-led government has killed thousands over the last nine months.

Mr. Ban made an unannounced visit to Baghdad Monday for talks with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The U.N. chief said he is especially worried about deteriorating security in Iraq .

Israel's former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who died last Saturday at the age of 85, has been buried at his home in the Negev following civilian and military services Monday.

VOA's Scott Bobb has the details.

The late politician and military commander Ariel Sharon was later to rest Monday before family, friends and a delegation of visiting dignitaries.

He was praised earlier in the day during a memorial service at the Knesset - the Israeli parliament.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he and Sharon did not always agree but when in government together they cooperated for the security and economy of the country.
 
He said Mr Sharon was a practical and pragmatic man whose pragmatism was full of deep feelings for his country and the Jewish people.

Scott Bobb VOA News JERUSALEM.

Gaza militants fired two rockets that hit an area close to the burial site.

Military officials say they retaliated with two air raids on the central and southern parts of the Palestinian territory. There was no information on damages from either attack.

Tens of thousands of Thai opposition supporters took over key intersections in Bangkok Monday, snarling traffic as part of their campaign to topple the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and disrupt elections set on February 2.

Thousands of security officers are deployed in the Thai capital. So far they took no action against the protesters.

The Central African Republic's new interim president says he is taking steps to restore security in the capital, Bangui.

That city has been terrorized by six weeks of political and ethnic violence that has displaced nearly 500,000 residents.

In an interview with VOA, Alexandre Nguendet said he met Sunday with local militias which, he says, agreed to make peace.

He also said he was creating a task force with police and security forces to restore order. 

The warring sides in South Sudan's conflict held more peace talks Monday, as the rebels reported heavy fighting with government forces.

Agreement on the proposed cease-fire has been held up by the government's refusal to release 11 political detainees, as demanded by the rebels.

South Sudan's foreign minister told VOA that officials will expedite "legal processes" against the detainees, who are accused of plotting to overthrow the government.

A new study finds that the massive collection of phone data by the clandestine U.S. National Security Agency "has had no discernible impact" on preventing terrorism.

A Washington research group, called the New America Foundation, studied the investigations of 225 people linked in some way to terrorism in the United States since the deadly 2001's attacks on the country. It concluded an NSA phone surveillance only played a key role in one instance, involved a car driver in U.S city San Diego, California.