Kerry to travel to Paris
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says he will travel to Paris this week for talks with French officials on countering extremist violence after the deadly attacks by Islamist militants, RFE/RL reported.
Speaking in India on January 12, Kerry said he would be in Paris on January 15-16.
U.S. President Barack Obama's administration is facing criticism for not sending a senior official to the January 11 unity rally in Paris that was attended by more than 1 million people, including some 40 world leaders.
Kerry said he was going to reaffirm U.S. solidarity with the country's oldest ally.
He said that when he heard about the rally, he asked his team when was the earliest he could go to France.
Kerry will meet with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and honor the 17 victims killed in the January 7-9 attacks on the offices of a satirical weekly that published caricatures of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad, a policewoman, and a kosher grocery store.