Xinhua world news summary at 0830 GMT, Feb. 28

KABUL -- Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani outlined a new peace map on Wednesday during an international meeting, which is aimed at finding negotiated settlement to the country's lingering crisis.

"The Afghan government offers peace talks to the Taliban without any preconditions," Ghani told participants at the Kabul Process for Peace and Security Cooperation meeting. (Afghanistan-Peace-Taliban)

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WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday spoke respectively with leaders of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, when he encouraged the two nations to enhance Gulf cooperation to counter Iran's regional influence.

The White House said in a statement that in Trump's call with the UAE's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, the two leaders discussed regional development and opportunities to further enhance bilateral partnership on security and economic issues. (US-Saudi-UAE-Iran Issue)

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TRIPOLI -- The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Libya Maria Ribeiro on Tuesday called for the protection of internally displaced people (IDPs) in the town of Tawergha in northern Libya.

"The UN Humanitarian organizations and partners in Libya are deeply concerned about the situation faced by Tawergha men, women and children who are unable to return home and currently living in makeshift-tented settlements with precarious conditions in Qararat al-Qataf and Hwara," Ribeiro said in a statement. (UN-libya-IDPs)

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DUBAI -- Panama's President Juan Carlos Varela said here on Tuesday that the Central American country supports the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and seeks to be part of it.

Speaking to Xinhua on the sidelines of the ongoing two-day Global Business Forum on Latin America organized by the Dubai Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the president said "We believe in a planet which has enough resources for everybody and a planet that is better connected." (Panama-China-B&R)

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MOSCOW -- A Russian Su-24MR warplane performed a planned mission over the Sea of Japan, local media reported Wednesday.

"The crew of the Su-24MR warplane from the Eastern Military District carried out a planned flight over the Sea of Japan," Sputnik news agency quoted a statement from the Eastern Military District as saying. (Russia-Flight-Sea of Japan) Enditem