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               Kerry Heads to Berlin on Next Leg of Foreign Tour

   by Michael Scarturro

   With the crisis in Syria topping his agenda, U.S. Secretary of State
   John Kerry is in London on the first leg of an 11-day visit that
   includes Turkey and the Middle East.
   Kerry's next stop in Berlin will be brief, but significant.  He is to
   meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel after she returns from a day
   trip to Turkey.  Kerry also is to meet with Russian Foreign Minister
   Sergey Lavrov.
   Analyst Stefan Meister of the German Council on Foreign Relations says
   the ongoing Syria conflict will not be high on Lavrov's list of things
   to discuss with Kerry.
   "These deaths of Russian children in the United States will be the key
   issue in these meetings.  It is very emotional right now in Russia,"
   Meister says.
   ''According to Meister, the death last week of a three-year-old Russian
   boy, apparently at the hands of his adoptive American mother, has
   shelved all other issues in the U.S.-Russian relationship.  Meister
   thinks Russian President Vladimir Putin is using the tragic event to
   score domestic political points.
   "The Russian leadership, the Putin regime in its third term, is very
   much under pressure.  His ratings are going down.  People are very
   unhappy with corruption and the end of any modernization in Russia.
   And that is why the Putin regime uses foreign policy issues to gain
   legitimacy for its own system," he explains.
   Meister says European policy makers see the U.S. "reset policy" towards
   Russia as effectively over ... but that what comes next is unclear.
   He suggested lack of domestic interest in the Syria conflict also is
   stalling any Russian action.
   "Nobody cares about Syria in Russia.  This is not a topic there like it
   is in Western countries, where we see people dying on TV everyday," he
   notes.
   As for Kerry's choice of Europe as his first stop - European Council on
   Foreign Relations Berlin-based analyst Olaf Boehnke says it is being
   viewed favorably in London and the German capital.
   "For the last 12 months, we had a debate on the 'pivot' to Asia, and
   what it means for Europe.  And some of these complaints were
   emotional," Boehnke says. "Sort of like 'The United States fell out of
   love with Europe' - but now, by appointing Secretary of State Kerry, as
   well as Chuck Hagel, this was a clear signal towards Europe that we are
   not forgotten."
   Boehnke says he thinks German policy makers were happy when they
   learned Kerry's second stop would be Berlin.  According to Boehnke,
   political commentators say Kerry's meetings with Chancellor Angela
   Merkel and Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle would likely include a
   discussion of the ongoing European economic crisis and reform efforts.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/john-kerry-heads-to-berlin-on-next-le
   g-of-foreign-tour/1610507.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/john-kerry-heads-to-berlin-on-next-leg-of-foreign-tour/1610507.html