NEW YORK (UN), Aug. 19 - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has expressed deep concern about reports of the shelling of a column of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Luhansk region and urges all sides to respect the rules governing the status of IDPs, the secretary general's spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, has said.

"Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is deeply disturbed by today's alarming reports regarding an attack on a column of internally displaced persons (IDPs) attempting to leave the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine," he said at a briefing on Monday.