UN Chief to meet war displaced in Sri Lanka

Colombo, Aug 26 (IANS) UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will meet war displaced people during a visit to Sri Lanka next week, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

Ban will visit Sri Lanka from August 31 to September 2 at the invitation of the Sri Lankan government, Xinhua news agency reported.

In Colombo, the Secretary General will meet Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and call on President Maithripala Sirisena.

The UN chief will travel to the southern town of Galle where he will participate in an event involving youth under the theme "Reconciliation and Coexistence: Role of Youth".

He will also visit the northern town of Jaffna where he will meet Governor of the Northern Province Reginald Cooray, leader of the Opposition R. Sampanthan and members of the main minority Tamil party, the Tamil National Alliance, and a resettlement site.

During the visit, the UN Secretary General will also meet several Cabinet Ministers, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera, Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya and leaders of political party as well as civil society representatives.