Al-Hayat (London): Livni rejects European interference in negotiations … Bush defines 2008 priorities with a visit to the region – The Bush administration has defined its priorities for the new year with a visit by President George W. Bush to the Middle East in January to give a push to the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks launched at Annapolis. Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni insisted that negotiations will be bilateral and urged the European Union to only support the peace process without seeking to "dictate its results."

Al-Ghad (Jordan): Israeli internationally-banned weapons turn bodies of three Palestinian martyrs into pieces – The Israeli war machine continued for a tenth day targeting Hamas militant targets in Gaza, killing three Palestinians, raising the number of Hamas martyrs since the Annapolis peace conference to 24. Medical sources told al-Ghad the three were torn to pieces by Israeli weapons that are banned, making it impossible to identify one of the bodies.

Al-Rayah (Qatar): Bush calls for continued pressure on Iran – President Bush said he was confident that Britain, France, Germany, and Russia still consider Iran's nuclear program a problem that requires more international pressure. He said the Iranians should take a strategic choice to clarify their nuclear activities to the international community and halt uranium enrichment in order to start negotiations, otherwise they will remain isolated.

Al-Mustaqbal (Lebanon): Brammertz to the Security Council: Area of investigation narrowed and cautious from publicizing information – U.N. chief investigator into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Serge Brammertz, briefed the U.N. Security Council about the probe. He affirmed progress was made after the area of investigation was narrowed, "which helped the commission identify a number of people who might have been involved in the preparation of the crime."

Al-Bayan (United Arab Emirates): OPEC resists pressure and maintains output levels – The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), during a meeting in Abu Dhabi Wednesday, resisted global pressure and maintained its current production rate of about 31 million barrels per day. UAE Energy Minister Muhammad al-Hamili, the current OPEC president, told al-Bayan that the organization focuses its efforts on meeting global market needs and has nothing to do with the fluctuation of oil prices.