Kerry meets briefly with Russian, Chinese leaders

BALI, Indonesia — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has met briefly with the leaders of Russia and China to discuss the situation in Syria and other world hotspots.

Kerry is standing in for absent U.S. President Barack Obama at an Asian economic summit.

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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry delivers his keynote address at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit in Bali, Indonesia, on Monday. Kerry is seeking to assure Asia-Pacific business leaders that nothing will shake America’s commitment to the region and that the current government shutdown in Washington will soon be over and forgotten. The Associated Press

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An American official traveling with Kerry said the secretary spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin for about 15 minutes in a conversation that focused primarily on organizing an international conference to help Syria create a transitional government. The official said the pair agreed on the importance of organizing the conference by a mid-November target date set by the United Nations.

The official, who was not authorized to discuss the private meeting and spoke on condition of anonymity, said Kerry also spoke briefly with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

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