UN. March 20. KAZINFORM UN secretary general has set off for a tour of the Middle East after his visit to Moscow, where he took part in a meeting of the Mideast Quartet mediators, his spokesman said; Kazinform refers to RIA Novosti.

Secretary General Ban Ki-moon together with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and the Quartet's special representative Tony Blair met for the Middle East Quartet of international mediators in Moscow on Friday.

Farhan Haq said Ban is expected to meet over the weekend with the president and prime minister of Israel, the Palestinian premier as well as to visit Gaza to evaluate the humanitarian situation in the region; Kazinform cites RIA Novosti.

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