United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is scheduled to hold talks this week in Nairobi with President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

In announcing the meetings on Tuesday in New York, the UN did not indicate whether Kenya's appeal to the Security Council on the Ocampo Six would be a topic of the leaders' discussions, which will also involve other government officials.

Kenya's UN ambassador Macharia Kamau, has said he expects the Security Council to consider, in a formal session, whether the International Criminal Court's six cases related to instigation of the post-election violence should be deferred for one year.

The Security Council's presidency will pass on Friday from China to Colombia. And Colombia has not yet said whether it will place Kenya's request on the council's April agenda, which is due to be unveiled in New York Thursday.

Under China's leadership in March, the council convened an unofficial “interactive dialogue” on Kenya's request. Comments afterwards by diplomats suggested that Kenya had little chance of persuading the council that ICC trials of the six would endanger international peace.

The Security Council can grant a deferral only if it makes such a determination.

Mr Ban is travelling to Nairobi mainly to preside over a meeting of the UN's Chief Executives Board that includes the heads of all agencies, funds and programmes within the world body.