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More Western assistance for Syria鈥檚 rebels is in the works, according to Secretary of State John Kerry and the leaders he is meeting with at the outset of his nine-country trip through Europe and the Middle East.

The crucial question for Syria鈥檚 opposition forces is whether that stepped-up aid would include arms for fighting the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The answer could come Thursday, when Secretary Kerry and other Western officials are to gather in Rome for a meeting with at least some of Syria鈥檚 divided opposition groups.

The Obama administration is coming under increasing pressure at home 鈥� from Republicans and some Democrats 鈥� to reverse course and directly arm the rebels. So far the administration has provided only 鈥渘onlethal鈥� assistance, arguing that some of the rebel groups are aligned with Al Qaeda or other groups unfriendly to the United States.

But on Monday in London 鈥� the first stop of his maiden overseas trip as President Obama鈥檚 top diplomat 鈥� Kerry said, 鈥淭he moment is ripe for us to be considering what more we can do.鈥� He added, 鈥淲e are not coming to Rome simply to talk [but] to talk about next steps.鈥�

British Foreign Secretary William Hague also offered a tantalizing preview of the Rome meeting, saying, 鈥淲e must significantly increase support for the Syrian opposition, [and] we are preparing to do just that.鈥�

The two diplomats鈥� hints appeared aimed at enticing a broad representation of Syria鈥檚 opposition organizations to attend the Rome meeting, being held by the Friends of Syria group of nations. On Saturday, the Syrian National Council (SNC), the largest part of Syria鈥檚 political opposition, announced that it was 鈥渟uspending鈥� its participation in the Rome meeting over what it called the 鈥渟hameful鈥� international inaction in the face of the Assad regime鈥檚 continuing attacks on the Syrian population.

In particular, the SNC cited last week鈥檚 bombing in Aleppo that killed dozens and that the opposition said was the result of a government Scud missile attack. The government blamed Al Qaeda-linked insurgents.

In London, Kerry offered a reminder that in his previous role as a US senator, he called on Mr. Obama to consider military aid to the rebels. That put Kerry in line with his predecessor, Hillary Rodham Clinton; Defense Secretary Leon Panetta; and Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, all of whom last year encouraged Obama to drop his opposition to arming the rebels.

Kerry said that as a member of the Senate, 鈥淚 was one of those voices on the outside pushing for one thing or another.鈥� Last May, Kerry called for creation of safe zones in Syria and for arming the rebels on the condition that the opposition become more united.

But in his comments in London, Kerry also suggested that some crucial decisions on aiding Syria rebels and what he calls 鈥渃hanging Assad鈥檚 calculus鈥� are not likely to come until sometime after the Rome meeting.

He insisted that the Syrian opposition 鈥渋s not going to be dangling in the wind wondering where the support is coming from,鈥� but he also acknowledged that some proposal for assistance 鈥渕ay take a little more of a gestation period.鈥�

One factor figuring in Kerry鈥檚 deliberations is the meeting he will hold in Berlin Tuesday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, whose government remains Mr. Assad鈥檚 firmest ally. It will be Kerry鈥檚 first meeting as secretary of State with his Russian counterpart, so it is unlikely that the two will be able to reach some kind of breakthrough on bringing the US and Russian approaches to Syria closer together, some regional analysts say.

The Kerry-Lavrov meeting 鈥渋s going to be helpful in clearing the fog between the two sides, [but] I don鈥檛 think anything major is going to happen there,鈥� says Michael Geary, a transatlantic-relations specialist at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington. It鈥檚 likely to take a 鈥渟eparate Kerry trip to Russia鈥� or even a 鈥渟erious sit-down鈥� between Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin for any progress toward a political solution, he says.

Kerry鈥檚 words at the Rome meeting may offer a clue as to whether Obama is shifting in his opposition to providing direct 鈥渓ethal assistance鈥� to the rebels.

In the meantime, some forces in the president鈥檚 party are showing signs of impatience with the Syria policy status quo. On Sunday, the senior Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Eliot Engel of New York, called on Obama to change course and provide American arms to the rebels.

Rejecting the administration鈥檚 justification for not arming the rebels, Representative Engel told ABC鈥檚 鈥淭his Week,鈥� 鈥淲e know who they are, and I think it鈥檚 time we make that move.鈥�