Kerry Changes Itinerary on Middle East Trip
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State Department photo(GENEVA, Switzerland) — Secretary of State John Kerry made a number of alterations to the itinerary for his Middle East trip on Friday.
Kerry postponed stops in Rabat, Morocco and Algiers, Algeria, which were originally the final two stops on the trip scheduled to end on Nov. 11.
Kerry added a stop in Jerusalem on Saturday that was expected to extend the trip. The secretary of state met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Friday morning in Israel.
Kerry will keep a scheduled trip to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates as planned. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki announced the changes in a statement, saying that the U.S. values its “strong relationships with Algeria and Morocco and Secretary Kerry looks forward to leading the U.S. delegations to Strategic Dialogues in those countries in the future.”
Kerry’s trip began on Nov. 3 in Cairo, Egypt and included stops in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he met with King Abdullah to discuss “bilateral and regional issues,” while working to strengthen the U.S.-Saudi relationship. He also stopped in Warsaw, Poland, to discuss partnership on global issues and Tel Aviv, Israel, for a wreath-laying ceremony before his meeting with Netanyahu on Friday.
After speaking with the Israeli prime minister, Kerry traveled to Geneva to meet with European Union High Representative Catherine Ashton and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, in the hopes of narrowing the gaps in ongoing negotiations.
After Abu Dhabi, Kerry will continue on to “other scheduled travel in the Middle East.”
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