WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State John Kerry will try to launch a new initiative for a political solution in Syria during meetings in New York in the next week, starting with talks with his Iranian counterpart on Saturday, US and other Western officials said. After backing a United Nations peace process that has failed to end the Syrian conflict, Kerry will test several ideas for a new approach during the United Nations General Assembly in New York in the coming days, the officials said. The new approach - which officials stressed was in its infancy - could bring together Russia, a major ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, Saudi Arabia and countries such as Turkey and Qatar, which support Syrian opposition groups.
