Despite new rules aimed at stemming the flow of people across the border, Syria wouldn’t expel refugees from Iraq by force, the U.N. refugee agency said Friday.

Syria's President, Bashar al-Assad, has used a rare interview with the foreign media to attack American plans for a Middle East conference to be held later this year.

Ehud Olmert on Monday said Israel is not interested in violent conflict with Syria, adding that he is confident that recent tensions with Israel's archenemy will subside, Israeli media reported.

Syria has rejected Israel's call to hold unconditional peace talks with Damascus. The official Tishrin newspaper said in an editorial Wednesday that Israel's reported air strike in Syria earlier this month shows that Israel is not interested in peace. The editorial also cites Israel's fighting in Lebanon last year.

Israeli President Shimon Peres says tensions between Israel and Syria are now "over," and Israel is ready to negotiate for peace with Syria.

North Korea has denied allegations that it may be helping Syria to develop a nuclear-weapons facility. North Korea's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that suspicions raised by Washington and U.S. media reports are part of an "unskillful conspiracy."

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has ordered the lifting of restrictions on movement between the Lebanon-Syria border and will open two main checkpoints, a vice president said Monday.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has expressed concern over Syrian visa restrictions on Iraqis fleeing violence, the UN News Center said.

Syria has condemned the violation of its airspace and the launching of rockets by Israeli aircraft, a government official said Thursday.

Syria is reported to have imposed visa requirements on Iraqi nationals in a bid to control the flood of Iraqi refugees into the country.

The top United Nations refugee official has praised Syria and Jordan for accommodating Iraqi refugees, and he has urged the international community to support their efforts.

Syria, home to more than 1 million Iraqi refugees, has decided to require visas for Iraqis entering the country for economic, trade, and educational purposes. The Iraqi Foreign Ministry said today the new rules take effect September 10.