Rumor has it that Kerry and Rice are the chicken hawks in this hole Syria mess

[ProSense]

33. Every dumb rumor in the world. Fact: New Diplomatic Push to End Civil War in Syria

New Diplomatic Push to End Civil War in Syria

By STEVEN LEE MYERS and RICK GLADSTONE

ROME — As new reports of violence flowed from Syria, Secretary of State John Kerry telephoned leaders in Europe and the Middle East on Wednesday to lay the groundwork for a conference between rebels and the Syrian government, sponsored by the United States and Russia, that he hoped would begin within a month.

Mr. Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov, announced a new diplomatic effort to end the two-year-old Syrian conflict after intense discussions on Tuesday in Moscow. Mr. Kerry then flew to Rome, where aides said that on Thursday he would announce a 25 percent increase in American humanitarian aid to Syrian civilians whose lives have been upended by the crisis. The additional aid, according to a State Department statement, would bring the American total to about $510 million.

The American ambassador to Syria, Robert S. Ford, who accompanied Mr. Kerry during his talks in Moscow, flew to Istanbul to press representatives of the Syrian opposition to agree to talks with an envoy of the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad. There were initial indications, at least, that both sides were not opposed to the idea.

Syria’s official news agency, SANA, reported it with the headline “Lavrov, Kerry: Negotiations Are Vital Tool to Reach Settlement.”

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http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/09/world/middleeast/syria-diplomacy-kerry-aid.html