WASHINGTON
US Secretary of State John Kerry will leave the US on Friday to begin his overseas trip during which he will discuss both the ongoing civil war in Syria and US-Taliban talks.
Kerry will have a two-week tour of at least seven countries, said State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki.
"Kerry lands Saturday in Doha, Qatar, where representatives of 11 nations in the Friends of Syria group will discuss how to coordinate military and other aid to rebels trying to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad and "change the balance" on the ground," Jen Psaki said.
Psaki said Kerry was not expected to meet with the Taliban but other US officials were to hold talks with representatives of the Taliban to find a political solution to the war in Afghanistan at a new office the Taliban opened this week in Doha, Qatar.
Kerry, following his Qatar trip, will visit India, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan and Israel where he will take steps in the direction of peace accord between Israel and the Palestinians, said Psaki adding he would end his trip attending a Southeast Asia security conference in Brunei.
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