Chicago summit: FO confirms Zardari’s participation

Chicago summit: FO confirms Zardari’s participation

RECORDER REPORT

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday confirmed participation of President Asif Ali Zardari in the upcoming Chicago summit on Afghanistan scheduled for May 20-21.

“President Zardari would visit Chicago to attend the 25th Nato Summit on May 20-21, 2012 on the invitation of Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen,” said Foreign Office spokesman Moazzam Ahmad Khan.

The decision to attend the summit was made after both the DCC and the Cabinet had endorsed the invitation, he added. He further said that the President would be accompanied by Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani to the Summit.

The summit is important for the reason that it would discuss future of Nato forces in Afghanistan.

Giving further details, the spokesman said that the President during his visit would address the expanded ISAF meeting of Nato and also meet various heads of state and government on the margins of the Summit.

Earlier, on Tuesday Secretary General Nato Rasmussen telephoned President Asif Ali Zardari and extended an unconditional invitation to attend the Nato summit.

Spokesperson to the President Senator Farhatullah Babar said that the invitation by Nato Secretary General was unconditional and not linked to the opening of ground lines of communication of Nato or to any other issue.