Baird pledges $13 million in aid to Jordan

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird is pledging $13 million in federal funds to Jordan,to help that country deal with a crush of Syrian refugees.

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird announced the aid after meeting with senior Jordanian officials on Sunday.

Canada had previously already given Jordan $11.5 million to help with the influx.

Canada signed a Free Trade Agreement last fall with Jordan which has taken in more than a quarter of a million Syrian refugees.

Some 2,000 refugees are arriving in that country every day.

Baird says the money will help Jordan deal with the immediate humanitarian and security needs

Canada had previouslypledged $11.5 million to help Jordan deal with the crisis

Baird's trip to there is part of a broader tour of the Middle East, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Cyprus and Israel.

He also plans to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad where aid to the Palestinians will be a major topic.

His trip will conclude in London, where he'll attend the G8 foreign ministers meeting on April 10 and 11.