Washington, February 13, 2010, SPA -- US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Bill Burns will travel to Lebanon, Syria, Turkey and Azerbaijan from February 16 to 19. In Lebanon, Burns will meet with President Michel Suleiman, Prime Minister Saad Hariri and other Lebanese leaders on February 16, according to a report of the Press Trust of India (PTI). His visit to Lebanon demonstrates the US's continued support for a sovereign and independent Lebanon, the State Department said. During his February 17 visit to Syria, Burns will meet with President Bashar al-Assad and Foreign Minister Walid Muallim. "His trip to Syria reflects our continued interest in furthering dialogue with the Syrian government on all aspects of our bilateral relationship," the statement said. Burns will travel to Turkey on February 18 for meetings with senior officials pursuant to the 2006 Shared Vision framework for our strategic partnership. --SPA 14:02 LOCAL TIME 11:02 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/747868