Kerry Says He’ll Fly to France to Show U.S. Solidarity

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/13/world/europe/kerry-paris-terrorist-attacks.html

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AHMEDABAD, India — Secretary of State John Kerry announced on Monday that he would fly to Paris at the end of the week in a gesture of support for the French government’s struggle against terrorism.

Mr. Kerry added the visit in part to answer criticism that the United States had sent only an ambassador, not a higher-ranking official, to a mass rally in Paris on Sunday that drew leaders from 40 countries.

Mr. Kerry said that as soon as he heard about the march, he asked his team when was the earliest he could get there.

“I will be traveling there on Thursday and be there part of Friday,” he said at a news conference on Monday in Ahmedabad, India.

Asked about the criticism that the United States had failed to send a senior-level official to the Sunday march, Mr. Kerry asserted that the charge was misplaced.

“The United States has been deeply engaged with France from the moment this horrific event took place,” Mr. Kerry said. “And I really think, you know, this is sort of quibbling a little bit.”

He noted that the American ambassador to France, Jane D. Hartley, had marched in Paris, joined by other United States Embassy officials. Mr. Kerry said Victoria Nuland, the senior State Department official for Europe, also had marched. An aide later clarified that Mr. Kerry meant Ms. Nuland had attended a march in Washington, not Paris.

“The president and our administration have been coordinating very, very closely with the French on F.B.I. matters, intel, law enforcement, across the board,” Mr. Kerry said. “For the United States, that relationship is a constant, and it is ongoing.”

Mr. Kerry plans to meet on Friday with his French counterpart, Laurent Fabius.

Forty world leaders, including the heads of government of Britain, Germany, Israel and the Palestinian Authority, participated in a rally and march in Paris on Sunday in a display of unity and resolve in fighting terrorism after a wave of attacks last week.

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. was in Paris on Sunday to attend an international meeting of law enforcement officials, but did not go to the rally. J.

Mr. Kerry arrived in India on Sunday to set the stage for President Obama’s visit this month. He is scheduled to meet with his Iranian counterpart in Geneva on Wednesday before heading to Bulgaria, his last stop before Paris.

During the drive to the airport in Ahmedabad, two cars in Mr. Kerry’s motorcade had a minor accident, causing some damage to both vehicles. Mr. Kerry was in one of the vehicles, but he was not hurt. A new car was brought in, and the group reached the airport without further incident.