Kerry Syria ceasefire possible

“My sense is that everybody understands that with Lebanon’s attacks, with what’s happened in Egypt, with Ankara, Turkey, with the attacks now in Paris, we have to step up our efforts to hit them at the core where they are planning these things, and also obviously to do more on borders and in terms of the movement of people”, Kerry said.

Kerry began his day Tuesday in meetings with staffers at the U.S. Embassy in Paris and French President Francois Hollande.

“France can not act alone in these theatres”, he said, at a meeting of European Union defense ministers in Brussels, according to reports.

Although the United States has said Assad must leave office as part of any solution to the conflict in Syria, he has the support of Russian Federation and Iran.

He told CNN that there was now an opportunity to make a quick breakthrough.

“I think we’ve got to not run off, you know, half-cocked here in an early stage”, he said.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said Hollande will meet next week with both Putin in Moscow and Obama in Washington to discuss next moves.

There have been deep divisions over the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. They’re feeling it today, they felt it yesterday, they’ve felt it in the past weeks, we’ve gained more territory, Daesh has less territory.

“I’m convinced that over the course of the next weeks Daesh will feel even greater pressure”.

And, McCain said as far as refugees are concerned, there has to be a vetting process that prohibits an infiltration like we just saw in Paris. The United States and Turkey hope that by sweeping ISIS from that border zone they can deprive it of a smuggling route which has seen its ranks swell with foreign fighters and its coffers boosted by illicit trade.

Belgium is to deploy up to 300 extra soldiers to help provide security in major cities, reported Associated Press.

“People who are under siege in a way that these folks have been under siege deserve more than a big closed door shut in their face”, he said.

The Paris attacks on Friday are believed to have been partly organized in Belgium, and a number of police raids have been conducted in Brussels since then.