U.S. Climate Envoy Kerry to talk energy with Mexican president

U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry said on Thursday he would travel to Mexico on Monday to speak with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador about working together on programs tied to Mexico's energy policy.

Kerry was speaking on the sidelines of the U.S.-hosted Summit of the Americas, which Lopez Obrador opted to sit out after Washington decided to exclude the governments of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua from the gathering. "I'm very hopeful we can come to some agreement on how to approach this year in terms of renewable and alternative energy," Kerry told Reuters, when asked about the upcoming meeting in Mexico.

Kerry had previously met with Lopez Obrador to express U.S. concern over a proposed energy bill that would have boosted the state's role in the energy sector, which ultimately did not win lawmaker approval.