UN secretary general reiterates his Olympic Truce call
SOCHI. Feb 6 (Interfax) - UN Secretary Genera Ban Ki-moon reiterated his call on Thursday for the observance of an Olympic Truce during the Winter Olympic Games in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi.
Speaking to the International Olympic Committee, Ban said that he was addressing his message to the warring sides in the conflicts in Syria, the Central African Republic and South Sudan.
The observance of an Olympic Truce will facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid, which will "save the lives of suffering people," the UN secretary general said.
Ban also demanded an end to any discrimination of members of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community.
Many professional athletes, both straight and homosexual, have voiced their opposition against these prejudices, he said.
The UN secretary general called on all people to step up their defense for LGBT community members and campaign against their arrests, convictions, as well as the discriminatory restrictions that they continue to encounter.
