UN chief arrives in Beirut; Syria talks to adjourn in Geneva

The UN chief has arrived in Lebanon on an official visit that comes as the UN-brokered peace talks in Geneva between the Syrian government and the opposition are to adjourn until later in April.

Ban Ki-moon is to meet top Lebanese officials and discuss regional matters. Lebanon, which has taken in over 1 million Syrian refugees, also has a UN peacekeeping force that maintains security along the Lebanese-Israel border.

Ban is expected to address refugee support, youth unemployment, and private sector development. He'll visit a Syrian refugee settlement in central Lebanon and also the country's second-largest city, Tripoli, in the north.
 

The secretary general will be joined by World Bank and the Islamic Development Bank Group representatives on a five-day tour that will also take him to Jordan and Tunisia.