John Kerry arrives in Beirut

BEIRUT, Lebanon, March 31 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. John Kerry arrived Wednesday in Beirut on a regional tour that includes a stop this week in Damascus, his office announced.

Kerry, D-Mass., and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, met with Lebanese leaders Wednesday in Beirut.

His visit to the region, The Boston Globe reported, is "to investigate the political situation in Syria and Lebanon and the prospects for progress in the Arab-Israeli peace process."

Syria and Lebanon are considered key players in the effort toward peace in the Middle East. Both of the Arab neighbors are wary of Israeli activity along their border regions.

Kerry Thursday heads to Damascus to meet with Syrian President Bashar Assad and Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem.

Damascus is moving closer to the regional and international community following years of isolation. Syria exchanged ambassadors with Lebanon in 2009 and has reached a series of trade deals with its neighbors in Iraq and Turkey.

Washington, meanwhile, appointed Robert Ford, a top diplomatic official at the U.S. mission in Baghdad, as the U.S. envoy to Damascus in February. If his nomination is confirmed, he would become the first U.S. envoy to Damascus since U.S. President George W. Bush broke ties with Syria in 2005.

Kerry is a key supporter of the Ford nomination.