As Syrian issue heats up, Canada’s dispatches foreign affairs minister to G20

OTTAWA – Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird will meet with his international counterparts to discuss the crisis in Syria, on the sidelines of the G20 summit this week in Russia.

With the U.S. Congress scheduled to vote on a military strike against Syria, the matter was threatening to overtake discussions at what is supposed to be an economic forum.

Having foreign ministers meet simultaneously as world leaders do in St. Petersburg could help to keep the core agenda on track and diffuse a showdown between Russia and other countries.

The United States, France, Australia, Britain and Canada say they believe the regime of Bashar Assad is to blame for a chemical weapons attack against its own people two weeks ago.

But Russia has been steadfastly opposed to any military action without United Nations sanction, and has expressed doubts about the source of the attack.

Other countries that are expected to send their foreign ministers include the United States, Brazil, China, Russia and Turkey.