Visiting UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said on Saturday the UN welcomed the forming of the Palestinian unity government but he expected it "to meet the expectations of the international community for achieving peace and stability in the Middle East."

Ban, who was on a two-day visit in Egypt, the second leg of his regional tour after Iraq, made the remarks at a joint press conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit after talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

The UN chief said he was looking forward to meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Ban said he will not meet with Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haneya, who is also a senior leader of Hamas. Instead, he said he might meet with members of the Palestinian cabinet, such as foreign minister and finance minister, both of whom are non-Hamas members.

Although Ban didn't elaborate on what he said "the expectations of the international community," he is believed to refer to the three requirements of recognizing Israel, renouncing violence and abiding by interim peace deals set forward by the International Quartet for Middle East.

The UN is part of the Quartet, which has been a major mediator for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The other three members are the U.S., European Union and Russia.

The Palestinian unity government, which included ministers from moderate Fatah, was sworn in on March 17. But major Western countries are still reluctant to recognize it as Hamas does not accept the three conditions.

Ban said it was the first time for him in the new capacity to meet with Mubarak, during which they discussed issues related to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Iraq, Lebanon, Sudan's Darfur and Somalia.

Ban, who arrived in Cairo on Thursday evening from Baghdad, is expected to hold talks with Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa later in the day.

After Egypt, Ban will head for Israel, the Palestinian territories and Jordan. Then he is scheduled to attend the opening session of the upcoming Arab summit, slated for March 28-29 in Saudi capital of Riyadh. Ban's final leg is Lebanon.

Source: Xinhua