Kerry, Saudi king discuss Syria

U.S.’ aim: Shore up truce between rebels, Assad forces

Secretary of State John Kerry meets Sunday with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, to discuss conflicts in several countries in the region.
Secretary of State John Kerry meets Sunday with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, to discuss conflicts in several countries in the region.

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday held talks with Saudi Arabia's King Salman about the conflicts in Syria, Libya and Yemen, ahead of international meetings this week in Europe on those crises.

Kerry, who also held talks with the crown prince, deputy crown prince and foreign minister, is trying to shore up the truce in Syria. While the U.S. and its partners accuse President Bashar Assad's government of repeatedly breaking the truce, they have acknowledged violations by the opposition.

The situation has been further complicated by the intermingling of some Western and Arab-backed rebels with groups such as the al-Qaida affiliate known as the Nusra Front, which the U.N. has designated a terrorist organization and is therefore not covered by the truce. Saudi Arabia and the U.S. have rejected attempts by Russia to get the Arab-backed rebels placed on the U.N. terrorist list.

The 17-member International Syria Support Group includes Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia and others. The August deadline that the U.S. has set for starting a political transition in Syria is a target, not an endpoint for negotiations, Kerry has said.

Kerry also has said indirect peace talks between the Syrian opposition and the Assad government probably would resume "some days" after meeting with Italy's foreign minister in Vienna today. U.N.-led talks on Syria have been stalled since the opposition suspended participation last month in protest.

The U.N.'s humanitarian aid coordinator for Syria has expressed dismay about "disappointing" levels of access so far this month to besieged and hard-to-reach areas.

Kerry's Vienna meeting is to focus on the conflict in Libya. Kerry will meet with his Russian counterpart to discuss Syria on Tuesday.

The U.S. on Friday imposed sanctions on the speaker and president of Libya's House of Representatives for what the Obama administration said was their efforts to obstruct and delay political transition in the country.

Since the 2011 uprising that toppled leader Moammar Gadhafi, Libya has been split between rival governments. Last year, the U.N. brokered a deal on a unity government in Libya. But the new government has so far failed to gain support from various factions.

In Yemen, the warring parties have been holding U.N.-brokered negotiations in Kuwait to resolve the conflict. A truce began April 10 and has mostly held despite multiple breaches by both sides. The conflict pits the country's Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, and their allies against President Abed Rabbo Mansour's government, which is backed by a Saudi-led coalition.

The U.S. State Department said Kerry and Saudi officials discussed the need to strengthen that truce and their support for continued U.N. talks. A suicide bomber on Sunday detonated his explosives among policemen standing in line outside a police base in a southern Yemeni city, killing 25 people, security and health officials said. The Yemeni affiliate of the Islamist State militant group claimed responsibility.

Kerry's trip also includes a visit to Brussels for a meeting of NATO foreign ministers before he flies to Asia to meet with President Barack Obama in Vietnam.

A Section on 05/16/2016

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