11/09/2014 15:20
Kerry in key Saudi talks on IS
US Secretary of State John Kerry is to meet key Arab leaders in Saudi Arabia, as he tries to build a coalition against Islamic State (IS) militants, the BBC reported.
A US official was quoted as saying Mr Kerry would discuss co-operation in Jeddah to facilitate US air strikes.
Earlier, President Barack Obama said he would not hesitate to take action against IS in Syria as well as Iraq.
Mr Kerry, who arrived in the Red Sea port of Jeddah on Thursday, will hold talks with representatives of Saudi Arabia and other oil-rich Gulf states as well as Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Nato member Turkey.
"Many of the countries are already taking action against Isil [Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant - the previous name for IS]," a State Department official was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.
"But the trip by the secretary [Kerry] is going to broaden the coalition and bring it into more focus and intensify the lines of effort."
Among the issues to be discussed would be training for Syrian rebels on Saudi soil and a wider overflight permission from regional states to increase the capacity of US aircraft, reports say.