WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. John McCain stood by his claim Wednesday that progress is being made in Iraq, and a spokesperson for the Arizona Republican tells CNN he will talk about it further once he returns from a trip to the region after the congressional recess.

"Sen. McCain will be traveling to the Middle East over the April recess, including a stop in Iraq," the aide from his Senate office said in a statement. "The senator will meet with top military officials and troops on the ground and will share his first-hand observations upon his return. He believes he has an obligation to tell the American public about the early signs of progress being made in Iraq as a result of the troop surge."

CNN Baghdad Correspondent Michael Ware, who while noting that sectarian violence is down, disputed the senator's assertion in a CNN interview Tuesday that Americans can walk freely in some Baghdad neighborhoods.