Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird will visit two Syrian neighbors of Lebanon and Jordan from Aug. 10 to Aug.13, for an up-close observation of the raging civil war in Syria, Xinhua reported.
Baird will affirm Canada's support for the stability of both countries in light of the crisis in Syria on his trip, an official press release said late Thursday, adding that discussions with Lebanese and Jordanian top officials and a refugee camp tour in Jordan are on his agenda.
"The situation in Syria threatens the stability of the entire Middle East," said Baird in the release. "The situation grows increasingly difficult as refugees continue to flow over Syria's borders into neighboring countries."
Baird is scheduled to meet Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Jordanian King Abdullah II and Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Judeh to assess Syria's deteriorating situation and discuss bilateral ties.
The visit came at a time when fighting between government troops and rebels is at a crucial stage with both sides battling over the control of Aleppo, Syria's largest city and financial hub.
President Bashar al-Assad's forces have pounded the city with heavy artillery for two weeks and ground troops have fought in the street with the help of tanks, helicopters and warplanes.
Authorities on Monday claimed to have regained the district of Salaheddine, pushing rebels out of the southern gateway of Aleppo.
The UN refugee agency said some 10,000 Syrians had been living in four overcrowded transit centers near the Jordan-Syrian border, with as many as 1,500 new refugees arriving each night.
A staunch supporter of the rebels against Assad, Canada, in the same way of its like-minded allies, has imposed escalating sanctions against Syria and expelled all its diplomats from Ottawa.