Kerry to make five-nation visit to Mideast, Asia

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to five countries in the Middle East and Asia next week for a flurry of bilateral talks and multilateral meetings, the State Department said Monday.

Kerry will be in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, on Aug. 2 to co- chair the U.S.-Egypt Strategic Dialogue with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, before heading to Qatar the following day to meet with the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council, according to a statement issued by the State Department.

Kerry will travel to Singapore on August 4 to meet with the country's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Foreign Minister K Shanmugam to discuss bilateral and regional issues as Singapore marks 50 years of independence.

While in Singapore, Kerry will deliver a speech on the importance of U.S. trade and investment to prosperity in both the East Asia region and the U.S., the statement said.

The top U.S. diplomat will then visit Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from Aug. 4 to 6, to attend the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). At the forum, Kerry will participate in four multilateral meetings including the Lower Mekong Initiative, U.S.-ASEAN, East Asia Summit, and ARF ministers meetings.

From Aug. 6 to 8, Kerry will meet with senior Vietnamese officials in Hanoi, the country's capital, and also participate in an event marking the 20th anniversary of the establishment of U.S.- Vietnam diplomatic relations. Endite