UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan will begin more than two weeks of official visits on Wednesday, traveling first to Austria and then starting a tour of Asia that will cover South Korea, Japan, China, Vietnam and finally Thailand, a UN spokesman announced Tuesday.

In Vienna, Annan is expected to deliver a keynote address at the opening session of the summit of the European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean, spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

In Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing, Annan will meet with top government officials as well as with students from leading universities, before traveling on to Hanoi, where his is expected to meet with Vietnam's president and other senior officials.

Concluding his stay in Asia, the secretary-general will address a high-level panel on human development in Bangkok, where he will also meet with senior government officials and have an audience with the king, his spokesman said.

Annan will return to New York on the last weekend of this month.

Source: Xinhua