WASHINGTON – US Secretary of State John F. Kerry will embark on his first overseas journey as America's top diplomat next week, a whirlwind tour of nine nations in 11 days with a heavy focus on how to end nearly two years of bloodshed and civil war gripping Syria. US State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said in a statement Wednesday that Kerry will visit Saudi Arabia in the first week of March. She said that during his visit to Riyadh, the Secretary of State will discuss with Saudi officials cooperation between the two countries and issues of common concern. He will participate in a ministerial meeting with his Gulf Cooperation Council counterparts. The State Department official said Kerry's visit also will include stops in Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, with meetings on a range of topics, including the ongoing French military intervention in Mali and the impending withdrawal of US military forces from Afghanistan. Kerry will skip Israel. He had been expected to visit Israel and the West Bank and push for restarting peace talks with the Palestinians ahead of President Obama's trip to the country next month. “Given the fact that the government's coalition negotiations in Israel are still under way,” Nuland said, “the secretary will be traveling there with the president when he visits later in the spring in lieu of making his own separate trip in February to Jerusalem and Ramallah.” The Feb. 24 to March 6 tour will be highlighted by a diplomatic gathering in Rome of representatives from European and Middle Eastern powers who are supporting opposition forces seeking the ouster of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. Leaders of the Syrian Opposition Council are expected to attend the Rome meeting. Kerry also is expected to meet them privately, Nuland said. – Agencies
