Ban Ki-Moon Arrives For Two-Day Visit To Malaysia

SEPANG (Selangor, Malaysia), March 21 (Bernama) -- United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived here Wednesday, for a two-day official visit to Malaysia, his first since taking office on Jan 1, 2007. Ban (third from left), accompanied by his wife, Ban Soon-taek, and a delegation comprising UN senior officials and staff, arrived at the Bunga Raya Complex of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at 5pm. They were greeted by Malaysian Deputy Foreign Minister A. Kohilan Pillay (left). A foreign ministry statement said Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman would host a welcoming dinner tonight, in honour of the top UN diplomat. On Thursday, Ban is scheduled to call on Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and attend a luncheon hosted by the Malaysian leader and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, at Seri Perdana in Putrajaya. The UN secretary-general's itinerary in Malaysia includes a visit to the Malaysian Peacekeeping Training Centre (MPTC) in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan and attending a programme at the Institute of Respiratory Medicine in the Malaysian capital, in conjunction with World TB Day. Ban, a South Korean, is also scheduled to deliver a special address entitled, 'Malaysia and the United Nations in a Changing World', at the Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations in Kuala Lumpur. The visit will provide an opportunity for the Malaysian prime minister and the UN secretary-general to discuss regional and international issues of mutual concern to Malaysia and the UN, including the latest developments in the Middle East, and efforts to promote the Global Movement of the Moderates (GMM). Ban was unanimously re-elected by the UN General Assembly last year to serve as secretary-general of the world body until Dec 31, 2016. (photoBERNAMA) MALAYSIA