Secretary of State John Kerry is traveling to Europe, the Middle East and Asia for talks with his counterparts on issues including economic cooperation, security and global health issues.  

 

Secretary of State John Kerry’s first stop will be Paris. 

Kerry will sit down for talks with Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius on issues including Ukraine’s unrest, Ebola and the fight against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.

 

The Atlantic Council’s Robert Manning says the talks about the Islamic State could lead to a push for an expansion of the U.S.-led coalition building efforts.

 

“I suspect there will be some pressure for greater European engagement,” said Manning.

A senior State Department official says the Paris stop will also give Kerry an opportunity to discuss negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program with his French counterpart, before Kerry’s trilateral meeting with Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton in Oman.

Goal of nuclear talks

 

At a Washington forum last week, Kerry said the ultimate goal is to shut off what he called Iran’s “pathways” to nuclear weapons.

 

“There are four present pathways to a bomb for Iran – the hidden so-called secret facility in a mountain called Fordow, the open Natanz enrichment facility, the plutonium heavy-water reactor called Arak , and then, of course, covert activities,” said Kerry.

 

The secretary is also traveling to Beijing for an APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) ministerial meeting, before a visit by President Barack Obama.

 

A senior State Department official says while in Beijing, Kerry will also discuss U.S. priorities such as clean energy, cyber security and the economic empowerment of women.
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