Senator John Kerry to visit Syria as US pushes for cooperation from Damascus on Mideast peace
By APWednesday, March 31, 2010
US Senator John Kerry visiting Lebanon, Syria
BEIRUT — U.S. Senator John Kerry will visit Syria this week, the latest in a series of American officials to make the trip, as Washington pushes for the country’s cooperation in Middle East peace efforts and the standoff over Iran’s nuclear program.
The Democratic senator is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Kerry began his trip to the region in Lebanon Wednesday.
In Syria, he is expected to meet with President Bashar Assad.
Washington has reached out to Syria in recent months by nominating the first U.S. ambassador to Damascus since 2005 and sending top diplomats to meet with Assad. Washington is hoping to draw Syria away from Iran and the militant groups Hezbollah and Hamas.
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