 Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird speaks to reporters during Question Period outs at Parliament Hill in Ottawa June 11, 2012 . (Andre Forget / QMI AGENCY)
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OTTAWA -- Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird will pay a visit to a refugee camp sheltering Syrians fleeing the violence in their country during his three-day tour of the Middle East.
On Saturday, Baird will see the worsening refugee situation for himself as he tours the Zaatari refugee camp on the Jordan-Syria border.
Baird's Mideast trip included a stop in Lebanon and a visit to Jordan and comes as fighting between government and rebel forces in the northwest Syrian city of Aleppo drags on, sending more refugees fleeing across the border to Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.
On Friday, he met with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Fouad Siniora, parliamentary leader of the March 14 opposition.
"I expressed to both of them Canada's sincere gratitude for the role Lebanon has played in hosting Syrians seeking asylum from the violence that is ravaging their homeland," Baird said in a statement.
According to the UN, an estimated 36,841 Syrian refugees are registered in Lebanon, another 45,869 in Jordan and 50,227 in Turkey.
In Amman, Baird will meet with his Jordanian counterpart and with King Abdullah II.
On Friday, British Foreign Secretary William Hague announced his government will send almost $8 million in additional support to Syrian opposition groups to purchase "non-lethal" assistance such as communications devices,
Canada has so far sent $8.5 million in humanitarian aid to the region since the uprising began.
--with files from Reuters
