U.N. secretary-general to address AIDS

NEW YORK, July 23 (UPI) -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says combating AIDS will be a top priority on his first official visit to Mexico, scheduled to begin Aug. 3.

The secretary-general will open the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City with Mexican President Felipe Calderon.

Ban will reaffirm that the AIDS epidemic is not over and that a long-term vision to respond to it is needed. He is scheduled to meet with world leaders, hold talks with Calderon and Mexican Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa Cantellano. In addition, he will talk to people living with HIV, as well as to community groups, during the conference, a statement said.

Ban also plans to address a joint session of the Mexican Senate and Chamber of Deputies, and will confer on climate change with authorities and meet with business leaders.