UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will head to the Russian city of St. Petersburg next Tuesday to attend the upcoming leaders' summit of Group of 20 (G20), a UN spokesperson said Friday.

"On Thursday, the secretary-general will participate in the G20 Summit. In a letter to G20 leaders, he said that their continued commitment to strong, sustainable and inclusive growth will be critical for making sustainable development a reality for all," Martin Nesirky, Ban's spokesperson, said at a regular news briefing.

Ban met with five permanent members of the Security Council Friday to discuss developments in Syria after cutting short a European visit and returning to New York Thursday.

Ban told "the permanent members of the Security Council today that the UN team visited field hospitals, interviewed victims and doctors, collected biomedical samples, as well as visited affected areas," according to Nesirky.

Asked whether Ban had been briefed by the United States on intelligence on Syrian chemical attacks, Nesirky said he was not aware of any briefing.

Ban is expected to have bilateral meetings with several world leaders during his stay in St. Petersburg, said Nesirky, adding that Ban will return to New York on Sept. 7.

Russia holds the rotating presidency of G20 this year, with the main theme of joining forces to speed up global economic growth and boost employment. The G20 leaders' summit will be held on Sept. 5-6 in St. Petersburg.

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