UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday he will visit Israel and the Palestinian territories later this month in an effort to help revive the peace process between the two sides.

Ban said he would make the trip, which will include a stop in Lebanon, on his way to the Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia on March 28-29.

Ban said he chose the Middle East for his second major overseas trip as UN chief because security in the Middle East is one of the most important issues which we are now facing. He visited several African countries last month.

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He singled out the Israel-Palestinian conflict as one of the most pressing in the region, saying resolving it would create a conducive political atmosphere for the resolution of other issues in the Middle East.

"I'm looking forward to, first of all, a meeting with leaders in the region and making myself available for any consultation and to make contribution to (the) peace process," he said.

Ban has been involved in U.S.-backed efforts to restart the Israel-Palestinian peace effort after a six-year freeze. He said he would participate in two months in another round of talks among the so-called Quartet of Mideast peacemakers - the UN, the U.S., the European Union and Russia.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Chairman Mahmoud Abbas will meet for the second time in a month in an effort to keep their line of communication open.

Both sides, however, said they expected no major breakthroughs.