Naher und Mittlerer Osten.

This article contains news briefs from the Middle East. Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni was elected as head of the Kadima Party by a small majority of 431 votes. The leader of the Muslim extremist group Hizballah in Lebanon, Hassan Nasrallah, is the most admired leader in the Muslim public sphere, according to a survey conducted by the Brookings Institute. The Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has made statements regarding his intentions for a renewed relationship with the USA.