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"The secretary-general has conveyed to the (Chinese) Government some months ago that he may not be in a position to accept the invitation to attend this important event due to scheduling issues," UN deputy spokeswoman Marie Okabe said.

Another UN official said that the scheduling issue related to "a substantive visit" the UN chief is planning to China this year.

UN sources noted that Mr Ban was likely to make the China visit during an Asian tour during which he was also expected to attend a G8 summit of major industrialised nations in Japan in July.