Security Council to meet on Gaza today

The Security Council is to hold closed-door consultations today on UN chief Ban Ki-moon's upcoming trip to the Middle East to press for a Gaza ceasefire, diplomats said.

The Security Council is to hold closed-door consultations on Tuesday on UN chief Ban Ki-moon's upcoming trip to the Middle East to press for a Gaza ceasefire, diplomats said.

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Ahmed Gebreel, a spokesman for Libya's UN mission on Monday said the 15-member council would meet at 2030 IST on Tuesday.

Ban "is traveling to the region and he wants to brief the council on his visit," the Libyan diplomat added.

A Western diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the council's meeting on Tuesday.

Earlier on Tuesday, Ban told a press conference that he would leave for a week-long tour of Egypt, Israel, the West Bank city of Ramallah, Jordan, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and Kuwait, where he was to attend an Arab League summit next Monday.