Europe

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

Associated Press
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FILE - This file photo released on Sunday, May 17, 2015, by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows the general view of the ancient Roman city of Palmyra, northeast of Damascus, Syria. An Iraqi military spokesman says the long-awaited military operation to recapture the northern city of Mosul from Islamic State militants "has begun." A Syrian official and a an opposition monitoring group also say Syrian government forces are trying to recapture the heart of Palmyra, controlled by the Islamic State group. (SANA via AP, File) (The Associated Press)

FILE - This file photo released on Sunday, May 17, 2015, by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows the general view of the ancient Roman city of Palmyra, northeast of Damascus, Syria. AAn Iraqi military spokesman says the long-awaited military operation to recapture the northern city of Mosul from Islamic State militants "has begun." A Syrian official and a an opposition monitoring group also say Syrian government forces are trying to recapture the heart of Palmyra, controlled by the Islamic State group. (SANA via AP, File) (The Associated Press)

FILE - This file photo released on Sunday, May 17, 2015, by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows the general view of the ancient Roman city of Palmyra, northeast of Damascus, Syria. An Iraqi military spokesman says the long-awaited military operation to recapture the northern city of Mosul from Islamic State militants "has begun." A Syrian official and a an opposition monitoring group also say Syrian government forces are trying to recapture the heart of Palmyra, controlled by the Islamic State group. (SANA via AP, File) (The Associated Press)

The U.N. chief has arrived in Lebanon on an official visit that comes as the U.N.-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 U.N. 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.