UN chief to visit Middle East countries

UNITED NATIONS, March 9 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon will visit Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza strip later this month, UN spokesperson Martin Nesirky said on Tuesday.

Nesirky did not give an exact date but Ban told reporters on Monday that the trip would likely come before his meeting with the League of Arab States in Libya on March 27.

Ban said he has been "extensively engaged" with American, Palestinian, and Israeli leaders in a push for indirect talks that would eventually lead to direct negotiations between Israel and Palestine.

On Monday after a meeting with the secretary-general at UN headquarters in New York, Israeli Vice Premier Silvan Shalom told reporters that he would allow Ban access to the West Bank and the Gaza strip.