ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)<br /> <br />U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday (April 9) welcomed Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman to Washington, D.C. where the two are to discuss a wide range of regional issues.<br /> <br />In welcoming Lieberman, Kerry told reporters the two will talk about the Mideast peace process as well as other issues including the Iran nuclear negotiations and the situation in Syria.<br /> <br />"The region faces enormous challenges," Kerry said. "Syria remains a humanitarian catastrophe and it has a profound impact on Israel, on Jordan, on Lebanon, on the region," he said.<br /> <br />Lieberman said he believes both Israel and the U.S. have the same desire to achieve a "comprehensive...final status agreement" in the peace talks with the Palestinians, and that Israel's commitment goes beyond "lip service".<br /> <br />"We are ready to sacrifice a lot for this goal," he told reporters with Kerry.<br /> <br />A U.S. mediator has held a series of meetings over the past week
