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               Kerry Arrives in Saudi Arabia Ahead of Syria Talks

   by Pamela Dockins

   U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Saudi Arabia late
   Saturday, ahead of a new round of talks later this week over the
   conflicts in Syria, Libya and Yemen.

   Kerry meets Sunday in Jeddah with several Saudi leaders, including King
   Salman, to discuss the regional conflicts.

   Later, the top U.S. diplomat will fly to Vienna where he and Italian
   Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni will co-host a ministerial meeting on
   security and support for Libya's new government.

   Western powers hope Libya's Government of National Accord can unite the
   country, which has been in a state of chaos since leader Moammar
   Gadhafi was toppled and killed in 2011.

   On Tuesday, the 17-nation International Syria Support Group (ISSG) will
   convene in Vienna to discuss the stalled political talks, difficulties
   in maintaining the February cease-fire and the U.N.'s uneven results in
   delivering humanitarian aid.

   However, the Syrian government's recent military advances may diminish
   the ability to restart political talks seen as the best hope for ending
   the war.

   "Not all of the trend lines in Syria are going in the right direction,"
   said State Department spokesman John Kirby.

   He commented on Friday, shortly before Secretary of State John Kerry
   departed on a two-week trip to the Middle East, Europe and Asia, where
   he will focus on issues including unrest in Syria as well as in Libya.

   In Syria, the U.S. and Russia began stepping in to broker a series of
   localized cease-fires in late April, to help keep a nationwide
   cessation of hostilities enacted in February from fraying.

   While the overall level of fighting between the government and rebels
   is down, tensions between the two sides have continued to flare.

   ''In late April, another round of U.N.-facilitated talks on a political
   transition in Syria ended with no face-to-face meeting between the
   government and the opposition. It is unclear when the next round of
   so-called proximity talks will take place.

   In an interview with Russia's Sputnik news agency, U.N. Syria envoy
   Staffan de Mistura said he would await the outcome of the Syria support
   group's session before convening another round of proximity talks.

   ''Some analysts say Syria's military dynamics could hamper progress in
   proximity talks.

   What matters is the "leverage that you bring into the room," said
   Atlantic Council Middle East analyst Nussaibah Younis. "With the
   backing of Russia, the Assad regime has managed to make some real
   progress in its fight against the rebels," and, as a result, will be
   unwilling to compromise, she said.

   Russia said it would use Tuesday's session to call for an end to
   commingling between terrorist groups and rebels in Syria.

   Additionally, while Kerry is in Vienna, the U.S., Russia and France
   will focus on an effort to help stabilize Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed
   territory between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which is officially part of
   Azerbaijan.

   In April, the region suffered one of its worst outbreaks of violence in
   years.

   After Vienna, he will attend a NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels and
   then will travel to Burma in a show of U.S. support for the country's
   newly elected government.

   In the following week, Kerry will join President Barack Obama in
   Vietnam.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/kerry-arrives-in-saudi-arabia-ahead-of-syria-talks/3330955.html