John Kerry, Chuck Hagel To Call Senators About Syria

(Reuters) - Secretary of State John Kerry, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, and other senior U.S. national security officials will hold conference calls about Syria on Saturday afternoon with the Senate Democratic Caucus as well as the Senate Republican Conference, a White House official said.

The calls, which will be unclassified, are part of "the Administration's consultations regarding the Assad regime's use of chemical weapons in Syria on August 21," the official said.

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and President Barack Obama's National Security Adviser Susan Rice as well as Admiral James Winnefeld, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will also participate, the official said.

(Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Vicki Allen)