Kerry Heads Mideast, Europe With Full Agenda

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State John Kerry is hitting the road again. This time he's off to the Middle East and Europe amid continuing conflict in Syria, a spat with Saudi Arabia, an uncertain Israeli-Palestinian peace process and an uproar over U.S. surveillance activities.

The State Department says Kerry leaves this weekend for Saudi Arabia, Poland, Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria and Morocco. Kerry departs Saturday for Riyadh where he will try to ease strains over Syria and Iran. After a quick jaunt to Poland, where the controversy over alleged NSA spying is sure to be raised, Kerry will return to the Mideast for talks with Israeli, Palestinian, Jordanian and Emirati officials.

He wraps up the trip in North Africa with stops in Algiers and Rabat.

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