Aides to Secretary of State John Kerry had billed the moment as a dramatic shift in U.S. policy, a major event that would in part define Kerry’s maiden overseas voyage as America’s top diplomat: his first face-to-face meeting, in Rome, with Sheikh Moaz al-Khatib, chairman of the Syrian Opposition Council.
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Kerry opens first official overseas trip in London
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has kicked off his first official overseas trip by meeting with British leaders in London on the first leg of a hectic nine-day dash through Europe and the Middle East.
Kerry’s maiden diplomatic meeting abroad was on Monday with British Prime Minister David Cameron for talks expected to focus on the crisis in Syria and Iran‘s nuclear program. Later, he will see Foreign Secretary William Hague before flying to Germany for meetings in Berlin.
Kerry arrived on London late Sunday as the Obama administration launched a frantic effort to try to salvage a Syrian opposition conference that Kerry plans to attend this week in Rome. Some members of the sharply divided Syrian Opposition Council are threatening to boycott the meeting.
US scrambles to salvage Syrian opposition talks
The U.S. is frantically trying to salvage a Syrian opposition conference set for this week in Rome that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry plans to attend.
A senior Obama administration official says Kerry has sent his top Syrian envoy to Cairo in hopes of convincing opposition leaders that the conference will be critical to securing additional aid from the United States and Europe.
Some members of the sharply divided Syrian Opposition Council are threatening to boycott Wednesday’s meeting.
The official says U.S. envoy Robert Ford will say the conference is a chance for foes of Syrian President Bashar Assad to make their case for new and enhanced aid — especially to Kerry. He’s on his first overseas trip as secretary of state.
The official was not authorized to discuss sensitive diplomatic matters publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.