UN Chief in Beirut...

Local Editor

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon landed in Beirut Thursday at the start of a three-day official visit, the third such trip since his appointment.

The director-general of the Foreign Ministry Wafiq Rahimi at the head of a high-ranking delegation was at Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport to welcome the UN chief.

UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Sigrid Kaag, UNIFIL Commander Maj. Gen. Luciano Portolano and Lebanon's representative at the United Nations Nawaf Salam were also present at the airport.

Ban is expected to hold talks with Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Tammam Salam and Defense Minister Samir Moqbel.

The president of the World Bank, Dr Jim Kim, and President of the Islamic Development Dr Ahmad Mohammad Ali al-Madani are accompanying Ban on his tour through Lebanon, Jordan and Tunisia.

The visit comes in line with a high-level meeting on global responsibility sharing for Syrian refugees, which will take place in Geneva on March 30.

The refugee crisis will be the focus of Ban's talks in Beirut, in addition to his continuous calls on Lebanese rivals to elect a new head of state and fill the power vacuum which has engulfed the country since May 2014.

The top diplomats will also visit communities hosting refugees to reiterate their long-term support for Lebanon and discuss new ways of building resilience and assisting national systems.

On Friday, the UN chief will head to South Lebanon to meet peacekeepers associated with the United Nationals Interim Forces in Lebanon.

Ban's visit comes days after a similar trip by European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini.

The EU officials reconfirmed Monday that the EU would continue to support Lebanon in the face of the country's many challenges, particularly that of hosting over a million Syrian refugees.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team