Kerry to make statement on Syria at 1.30 p.m.

Reuters
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks during his news conference at Syrian Donors Conference at the Bayan Palace in Kuwait City January 15, 2014. REUTERS/Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Pool

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will make a statement on Syria at 1:30 p.m. (1830 GMT) on Thursday, the State Department said. Kerry just returned from travel in Europe and the Middle East where discussions focused on a peace conference in Switzerland next week to end the Syrian civil war. Donors pledged more than $2.4 billion in Kuwait on Wednesday for U.N. aid efforts in Syria. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)