U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday the international effort to defeat the Islamic State group is "moving in the right direction," but he cautioned more must be done to support stabilization in Libya and Iraq.
Kerry spoke at the opening of a ministerial meeting in Rome where representatives from about 20 countries came to talk about ways to boost the anti-Islamic State campaign.
He highlighted the risk of the militants taking control in Libya with its vast oil resources, but said that a near agreement on a new national unity government would go a long way to preventing that scenario.
Kerry also called attention to the humanitarian situation in Syria, saying it is a "catastrophe" not seen since World War 2. He said nations need to "speak out powerfully" about the need for a cease-fire, the end of sieges and urgent deliveries of aid to every area where people are in need.