U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will arrive in Israel on Sunday, and he will update Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on developments in securing a deal for Syria to hand over its chemical weapons.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met in Geneva to discuss a plan to disarm Syria’s nuclear arsenal. – Photo: Reuters

Over the weekend, Kerry will continue with talks in Geneva with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, in an attempt to confirm the Russian plan to remove Syria’s chemical weapons, and avert U.S. military action.

A senior U.S. State Department official told Haaretz that Kerry’s visit will deal with Syria, but also with peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

Kerry will meet Sunday with Netanyahu in Jerusalem and after that with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.

Kerry met Abbas in London last Sunday for a meeting that lasted a couple of hours.

Kerry and Lavrov said on Friday they hoped that talks on Syria’s chemical weapons would help revive an international plan for a “Geneva 2” conference to end the war in Syria.

After meeting UN special envoy on Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi in Geneva, where they are trying to confirm Russia’s plan, Lavrov and Kerry said they agreed to try and make progress on a broader effort to end a conflict that has divided the Middle East and world powers.

Kerry, who said the ongoing talks on chemical weapons were “constructive,” told a news conference in Geneva that he and Lavrov planned to meet in New York later this month and hoped to agree a date for the Geneva 2 conference then.

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View original HAARETZ publication at: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.546948

About the Author:

Barak Ravid is the diplomatic correspondent for Haaretz newspaper. He joined Haaretz in April 2007, covering the Prime Minister’s Office, the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Defense, dealing with issues such as U.S.-Israeli relations, EU-Israeli relations and the peace process.

Before joining Haaretz, Barak Ravid worked for two years for Maariv daily newspaper, spending a year covering the Palestinian Authority and a year as a diplomatic correspondent.

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Ravid has a BA in the history of the Middle East from the University of Tel Aviv. He served for six years as an officer in the Israel Defense Forces, and concluded his service with the rank of captain. He and his wife live in Tel Aviv