Kerry Meets French Leaders To Discuss Syria, Mali

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (left) is welcomed by French Foreign Affairs Minister Laurent Fabius at the Quai d'Orsay Ministry in Paris on February 27.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has met with French President Francois Hollande to discuss the conflict in Syria and the French military operation against Islamist rebels in Mali.

Kerry, who is on his first trip overseas as the top U.S. diplomat, was in Paris on February 27 before flying to Rome for an international conference on Syria.

At the "Friends of Syria" meeting in Rome, representatives of dozens of nations will meet on February 28 with the leaders of the main Syrian opposition to try to find ways to resolve the country's two-year-old conflict.

U.S. media reports citing U.S. and European officials said the U.S. administration is nearing a decision on whether to provide nonlethal assistance to some groups opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Based on reporting by AP and AFP