Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird is heading to the Middle East on Friday to meet Lebanon's prime minister and tour a refugee camp.
Baird's office says the continuing violence in Syria will be a major topic of discussion when he meets on Friday with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and opposition leader Fouad Siniora in Beirut.
Baird travels to the region at a time of fierce fighting between government troops and rebels in Aleppo, Syria's largest city and financial hub.
Aleppo has been under heavy fire from tanks, helicopter gunships and warplanes for two weeks now as President Bashar Assad's regime tries to break the rebel grip on one of its strongholds.
The United Nations estimates more than 78,000 people have fled to refugee camps in neighbouring Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Jordan to escape the bloodshed.
Baird will tour one such camp on Saturday in Jordan, where he and his Jordanian counterpart Nasser Judeh will make an announcement.
