Kerry arrives in Istanbul for Friends of Syria meeting

The U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Istanbul on Saturday to attend a meeting of 11 western and Arab countries that support the Syrian opposition to produce a concrete action plan to end the two-year long conflict in Syria.The private plane carrying Kerry landed at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport at 2:30 p.m. He was met by the U.S. ambassador to Turkey Francis J. Ricciardone at the airport.Foreign ministers from the "core group" of the Friends of Syria will meet at the Adile Sultan Palace at 6 p.m. local time to discuss the crisis in Syria.Heavy security is deployed around the palace, which is located in Asian side of Istanbul.An official from Turkish foreign ministry said that previous meetings consisted of assessing the situation. "We expect this meeting to produce a document that sets out concrete measures."The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that humanitarian, political and military aspects will be discussed at the meeting. "Our priorities are to end the bloodshed, improve humanitarian conditions and clear the way for the start of a peace process in Syria."