Kerry says raised Democrat email hack with Russia's Lavrov

[July 26, 2016]    VIENTIANE (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday he raised the issue of the hacking of Democratic Party emails in a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Lavrov brushed off accusations that Moscow was behind the hacking ahead of the meeting.

Secretary of State John Kerry (L) meets Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov during a bilateral meeting at the sidelines of the ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in Vientiane, Laos July 26, 2016. REUTERS/Jorge Silva

Kerry also said he would encourage the Philippines to engage in bilateral negotiations with China to resolve their dispute over rival claims in the South China Sea.

Kerry is due to travel to the Philippines later on Wednesday, after a two-day visit to Laos, and he will meet President Rodrigo Duterte while there.

(Reporting by Lesley Wroughton and Simon Webb; Editing by Robert Birsel)

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