Ban Ki-Moon Embarks On First Visit To Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, March 21 (Bernama) -- United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon will make a two-day official visit to Malaysia from Wednesday, his first since taking office on Jan 1, 2007. The Foreign Ministry said he would be accompanied by his wife, Ban Soon-taek, and a delegation comprising UN senior officials and staff. In a statement, the ministry said that Foreign Minister Anifah Aman would host a welcoming dinner in honour of the top UN diplomat Wednesday night. On Thursday, Ban is scheduled to call on Prime Minister Najib Razak and attend a luncheon hosted by the Malaysian leader and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, at Seri Perdana in Putrajaya. "The visit will provide an opportunity for the 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," the statement said. The UN secretary-general's itinerary in Malaysia includes a visit to the Malaysian Peacekeeping Training Centre (MPTC) in Port Dickson, in southern state of Negeri Sembilan. Established in 1996, MPTC provides training on theoretical and practical peacekeeping-related matters to Malaysian and international military, police and civilian personnel, including cooperation programmes with the UN and several countries such as Australia, Japan and the United States. South Korean Ban is 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 statement said. The secretary-general is also scheduled to attend a programme at the Institute of Respiratory Medicine in the Malaysian capital in conjunction with World TB Day. 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. Meanwhile, Ban's wife will visit the Permata Childcare Centre in Malaysia's administrative capital, Putrajaya, where she will be briefed on early childhood education and care programme conducted at the facility, the Foreign Ministry said. -- BERNAMA