Friends of Syria meeting to be held in Istanbul

The Friends of Syria meeting to be hosted by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu will be held in Istanbul on April 1 and participated by representatives from a great many countries, including US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe. A statement issued by the US Department of State on Monday said that Clinton would be in Turkey later this month to attend a meeting of "Friends of Syria". While in Istanbul, Clinton will have a meeting with Davutoglu and hold bilateral talks with various leaders. Although Russia and China were also invited to the meeting, these two countries stated that they would not attend.