Myanmar says UN chief to attend ethnic peace talks

YANGON, Myanmar – Officials in Myanmar say United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will attend a peace conference next week that seeks to end decades of armed conflict with ethnic minority groups.

The U.N. is expected to soon confirm Ban's attendance at the conference, which begins Aug. 31 in the capital, Naypyitaw.

The deputy director of the President's Office, Zaw Htay, said Tuesday the government invited Ban to what is being called the 21st Century Panglong Conference after he expressed an interest in attending. Another official involved in the peace talks confirmed Ban's plan to attend.

It will be Ban's first visit to Myanmar since Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party replaced an army-backed government in March this year. His last visit was in November 2014.