Ban to discuss with US officials Mideast international l issues

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon travels to Washington later on Wednesday to meet with senior US officials and visit the Organization of American States (OAS), his press office said in a statement. Ban will meet later today with the Permanent Council of the OAS and with OAS Secretary-General Jos{ Miguel Insulza, said the statement, released late on Tuesday. He is also scheduled to meet separately Later today with members of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Committee on Foreign Affairs. On Thursday, Ban will meet with new US Secretary of State John Kerry, before returning to New York later in the day. Ban and his hosts will discuss a wide range of issues, including Syria, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Mali, North Korea, Climate Change and other topics, his office said.