News Release

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**August 10, 2012 -** Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today made the following statement:

“Today I had the pleasure of meeting Prime Minister Najib Mikati and, later, the parliamentary leader of the March 14 opposition, Fouad Siniora. 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.

“Canada supports Lebanon’s efforts to deal with the effects of what is happening next door in Syria. Lebanon is an important and valued partner in the Middle East region, and we recommit ourselves to work closely together to deal with this crisis and its ripple effects.

“We share a deep concern over the risk posed to Syria’s neighbours by the Assad regime’s stockpile of chemical weapons. It is now more important than ever that the international community act decisively and in unison to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis before instability and chaos spread throughout the region.”