Ban, World Bank President in Beirut on March 25

The two-day visit of U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to Beirut has been set for March 25, diplomatic sources in New York said.

The sources told al-Mustaqbal daily published on Tuesday that during his visit Ban will discuss with Lebanese officials the political developments and the country's economic situation.

The burden of the Syrian refugees will also be on the agenda of the talks, they said.

Ban will be accompanied by World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, the sources added.

Their visit would come a month after more than $10 billion were pledged at a London conference to help fund schools, shelter and jobs for refugees from Syria's civil war.

At the London meeting, the world leaders aspired to bring new urgency to the effort to help the 4.6 million Syrians who have sought refuge in neighboring countries including Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey. Another 6 million people or more are displaced within Syria, and a quarter of a million have been killed.

Previous calls for international donations have come up short, and the five-year war has driven a chaotic exodus of hundreds of thousands of desperate refugees to Europe.

About 1.2 million Syrian refugees have been registered in Lebanon but their numbers are higher.

G.K.

D.A.