Updated

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is meeting with new French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault and Europe's top diplomats to discuss major international issues including the Syria peace talks.

The British, German and Italian foreign ministers and the EU foreign policy chief were also joining the meeting Sunday in Paris.

The meeting comes ahead of U.N.-sponsored indirect peace talks on Syria, which are scheduled to start Monday in Geneva amid a two-week partial cease-fire that has mostly held.

Diplomats were to also discuss a possible initiative to restart the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, as France hopes to hosts an international conference on the issue in the coming months.

The chaotic situation in Libya, Yemen's civil war and the Ukraine peace process are also on the agenda in Paris.