Kerry in Turkey in advance of Obama's trip to Israel

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http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2013/03/16/Kerry-in-Turkey-for-Middle-East-discussion/UPI-89411363448937/

Kerry in Turkey for Middle East discussion

Secretary of State John Kerry discussed the Middle East this weekend during a visit to Turkey in advance of President Obama's trip to Israel.

Turkey is seen by the White House as a key to easing long-running tensions in the Middle East, and Kerry traveled to Ankara to increase the level of the dialogue between the two NATO allies.

Turkish and U.S. officials told the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet Daily News there were no particular burning issues atop Kerry's agenda.


Kerry held two telephone discussions with Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu before boarding his plane to Europe, Hurriyet said.

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2013/03/16/Kerry-in-Turkey-for-Middle-East-discussion/UPI-89411363448937/#ixzz2Njwmu2Pr

Busy few next weeks for the Secretary of State. Back in DC Monday for Speak at the National Geographic Society http://t.co/J2qFCYTrg2

Then, back to the Middle East with President Obama.

The First Lady will not be on this trip and Rhodes also said that Secretary of State John Kerry will be on various parts of the trip, in response to a question.

Kerry will be "accompanying us in each of the three stops in Israel and the West Bank and Jordan; expect that he will be with the President in most, if not all, of his meetings, certainly in line with the type of role that Secretary Clinton played on similar trips where she accompanied the President."

"Secretary Kerry just returned from a very long trip to the region. He obviously did not go to these three stops because he anticipated that he’d be going with the President. But he was able to consult with a number of the other leaders in Europe, in Turkey, in the Arab world, and had a sense of the broader context for some of the discussions the President will have. So this trip will continue Secretary Kerry’s focus on the Middle East and his deep engagement with the leaders in the region," said Rhodes concerning Secretary Kerry's role on the trip.

And next month, trip to Asia.