Kerry urges Iran to help end wars in Yemen, Syria

Manama - Bahraini Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, whose government accuses Iran of stoking persistent protests in the kingdom, echoed Kerry's call.

US Secretary of State John Kerry urged Iran on Thursday to help end wars in Yemen and Syria, where Tehran and its Arab neighbours are backing opposing sides.
On the first visit by a US chief diplomat to Bahrain since 2010, Kerry told authorities in Manama that respect for human rights was "essential".
Kerry called on Iran to "help us end the war in Yemen... help us end the war in Syria, not intensify, and help us to be able to change the dynamics of this region".
He told a news conference in Manama that Tehran should "prove to the world that it wants to be a constructive member of the international community and contribute to peace and stability".
Iran struck last year a landmark deal with world powers on its nuclear ambitions, which has led to the lifting of international sanctions on the Islamic republic.
Bahraini Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, whose government accuses Iran of stoking persistent protests in the kingdom, echoed Kerry's call.
"Yes, we do want to see Iran change its foreign policy," he said, speaking alongside Kerry.
Iran, with Russia, has been among the regime's principal supporters in the conflict that has killed more than 270,000 people and pushed nearly five million into exile.
"We're satisfied, I think, with the overall level of support that we're getting from the Gulf states in the coalition," the US official said.
"He said he and Shaikh Khalid "had the chance to discuss the ongoing effort to address and to reduce sectarian divisions here in Bahrain and elsewhere".
"I appreciate the seriousness with which he considers this issue," he said. "We all welcome steps by sides to create conditions to provide for greater political involvement for the citizens of this great country," he added.
Most travelled official
Meanwhile, John Kerry is now the most travelled secretary of state in US history, breaking the record as he arrived in Bahrain on Wednesday.
The trip pushed Kerry past 1.06 million miles as America's top diplomat, narrowly beating Condoleezza Rice by about 1,000 miles. Rice, who was secretary of state under president George W. Bush, held the previous mark with 1.059 million miles.
Kerry eclipsed Hillary Clinton's mileage tally in December.
With 10 months left before a new president takes office, Kerry is showing no signs of tempering his hectic travel schedule. He flew to the Mideast on Tuesday from New York after attending an energy conference, stopping in Ireland to refuel. He plans to visit Japan later in the week.
With no immediate plans to leave the State Department, Kerry could easily pad his new record by hundreds of thousands of miles before departing government.
The former Democratic presidential nominee has spent more than 2,300 hours - or 96 days - in the air since becoming secretary of state in February 2013. He has spent parts of 467 different days on his well-worn government plane.
One record eludes Kerry still: Clinton's 112 countries visited on the job. Having shuttled regularly between several favourite destinations - including Paris, London and Jerusalem - Kerry had only been to 80 countries.

• MENA