U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met French President Francois Hollande in Paris on Wednesday to discuss the crisis in Mali on the third leg of a European tour so far dominated by the Syrian conflict.

Kerry, who has hailed France's "successful" mission in Mali, will also hold talks with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and address a joint press conference in the afternoon.

The parties to the Syrian war came under intense international pressure Wednesday to open direct talks to end their two-year conflict, on the eve of a Rome meeting of the Friends of Syria group.

The main opposition National Coalition, meanwhile, was preparing for a weekend gathering in Istanbul to elect a prime minister and government to run parts of the country "liberated" by rebel fighters.

United States Ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly urged on Tuesday all political factions in Lebanon to abide by the policy of disassociation towards regional events, expressing U.S. condolences for Lebanese citizens killed and injured by the “Syrian regime’s shelling of and firing upon border villages”.

“We reiterate U.S. calls for (Syrian President Bashar) Assad's regime to respect the sovereignty, independence, and stability of Lebanon,” Connelly said after meeting with Prime Minister Najib Miqati.

The United States sent its top sanctions official on a four-country tour this week as it seeks to bolster support of international economic sanctions against Iran and Syria.

David Cohen, Treasury under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, is visiting Iraq, Israel, Turkey and Britain for talks with government officials and members of the financial sector, the Treasury Department said in a brief statement.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai's demand for U.S. special forces to leave a key province came as a surprise to American commanders, who had no advance warning of the order, officials said Monday.

It remained unclear what led Karzai to issue a blunt announcement that U.S. special operations force would have two weeks to withdraw from the strategic Wardak province, southwest of the capital Kabul, two U.S. officials said.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday appealed to the Syrian opposition to reconsider their decision to boycott talks with foreign powers in Rome this week.

"I would urge the Syrian opposition to join us," Kerry told a news conference in London after talks with British Foreign Secretary William Hague at the start of his first overseas trip since taking office.

Hackers have attacked Sri Lanka's media ministry by placing a documentary about alleged war crimes during the island's ethnic conflict on its website, an official said Monday.

The hackers identifying themselves as "H4x0r HuSsY" uploaded a link to an Australian Broadcasting Corp report on atrocities during the final stages of Sri Lanka's battle against separatist Tamil Tiger rebels in 2009.

A senior U.S. official on Sunday urged the Syrian opposition to withdraw its threat to pull out of an international meeting in Rome on Thursday which new Secretary of State John Kerry will attend.

National Coalition chief Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib said on Saturday it was pulling out of the 11-nation meeting of the Friends of Syria to protest at the "shameful" inaction of the international community in the face of civilian killings.

The U.S. Senate Finance Committee said it will vote Tuesday on the appointment of Jack Lew -- who played an active role in talks that led to massive looming spending cuts -- as Treasury secretary.

Lew, who was tapped last month to succeed Timothy Geithner in the key cabinet position, was actively involved in the 2011 budget negotiations that led to the creation of the so-called sequester set to take effect on Friday.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Sunday ordered U.S. special forces out of a central province, saying Afghans working with them had committed torture and murder.

Karzai said the special forces would have to withdraw from Wardak within two weeks as armed Afghan groups they had set up were fueling "insecurity and instability".