Kerry would discuss ongoing efforts to reaffirm a cessation of hostilities throughout Syria with the foreign ministers of Jordan and Saudi Arabia, as well as U.N. envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, according to a State Department statement Saturday.
Kerry called the U.N. envoy to Syria and the Syrian negotiations coordinator in preparation for the trip.
He made it clear that ending the violence in Aleppo and returning ultimately to a durable, nationwide cessation of hostilities is a "top priority," State Department spokesman John Kirby said.
Kerry also expressed his concern about Assad forces continuing to escalate the conflict, Kirby said.
"The secretary expressed his deep concern about the deteriorating situation in Aleppo, where the ... regime (of President Bashar al-Assad) continues to escalate the conflict by predominantly targeting innocent civilians and parties to the cessation of hostilities -- not Nusra, as the regime falsely claims," he said. "Such attacks are direct violations of the cessation and must stop immediately."
About 30 airstrikes by Syrian government warplanes and helicopter gunships hit rebel-held areas of the northern city of Aleppo Saturday, killing at least five people.
Civilian deaths
Nearly 250 civilians have died in shelling, rocket fire and air raids in the contested city since April 22, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
Among those killed were at least 50 people in a hospital that was hit in an airstrike.
Thanks to VOA
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