Outgoing US President George W Bush will welcome UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to the White House for a farewell lunch, a spokesman said.
The meeting will be an opportunity for Bush, who leaves office on January 20, to thank Ban for his work as UN head over the last two years, said White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe yesterday.
The pair "will discuss the future of the United Nations and the challenges that remain, such as UN reform, the Middle East, Burma, Somalia, and peacekeeping in Darfur," he said.
Asked by AFP whether Bush and Ban would discuss the Israeli offensive in Gaza, Johndroe said it was possible.
Johndroe said, however, that the meeting would be primarily a farewell affair, and that the men's wives were attending.
Bush will stress the need for a United Nations "that can act effectively to promote freedom, democratic governance, human rights, and a world free from terror," he added.