Kerry heading to Europe, Middle East, Asia next week

WASHINGTON (AP) - Secretary of State John Kerry will be heading back to Europe next week at the start of an around-the-world diplomatic mission that will also take him to the Middle East and Asia.

The State Department said Friday that Kerry plans to leave early in the week for Switzerland, where he will meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Zurich on Wednesday and then participate in the World Economic Forum in Davos. From there, department spokesman John Kirby said Kerry will go to Saudi Arabia and then Laos, Cambodia and China before returning home.

The trip was announced while Kerry is currently in London, where he met with the Saudi foreign minister to discuss ongoing tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran that may complicate negotiations to end Syria's civil war.