UN Sec-Gen. to attend Summit of the Americas in POS

The Government of Trinidad & Tobago has confirmed that United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon will attend the Fifth Summit of the Americas, which begins in Port of Spain on Friday.

Trade and Industry Minister Mariano Browne told reporters Tuesday Ban accepted a special invitation from Prime Minister Patrick Manning and that the UN chief is expected to arrive in Trinidad on Friday night.

Ban will miss the formal opening of the summit at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Port-of- Spain where U.S. President Barack Obama and other hemispheric leaders will speak.

Browne said Ban has other commitments, including a visit to Haiti, so he is unable to get to Port of Spain before Friday night. The UN chief and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are attending a conference hosted by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to help the impoverished Caricom nation.

Clinton and Haiti’s president Rene Preval are also expected in Trinidad by Friday for the two-day summit in Port of Spain.

Obama heads a list of 34 nations attending the summit.