Kerry meets Syrian opposition leaders Thursday

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will be meeting with leading members of the Syrian Opposition Coalition on Thursday at the United Nations in New York, according to the State Department. "The secretary plans to meet with SOC President Jarba and other members of the coalition, including Michel Kilo and Burhan Ghalioun," said Spokesperson Jennifer Psaki on Wednesday. "They will discuss the current situation in Syria, how to support a process of political dialogue and the Geneva conference, and ways to bolster our assistance to local communities in coordination with the SOC." Psaki also expressed concern about the challenges of delivering humanitarian assistance to civilians inside Syria. The International Committee of the Red Cross said on Wednesday that thousands of blockaded Syrian civilians are in desperate need of aid and that "the consequences could be tragic." The organization said it has been trying to gain access to Homs to deliver supplies for 20 days. "There have been countless times we've talked about it, whether it's Qusayr or even recent events this past week, where aid is unable to reach individuals, " said Psaki. "We've supported steps in the past to make that point."