Foreign Secretary, Riaz H. Khokhar arrived here on Wednesday as special envoy to represent Pakistan at the Asean Regional Forum (ARF) and to sign the Treaty of Amity and Co-operation on Friday.
Additional Secretary Salman Bashir is the Deputy Leader of the delegation, which includes Director General East Asia Pacific M. Naeem Khan, Director Southeast Asia Pacific, Safdar Hayat, Deputy Director Southeast Asia Pacific (II), Farrukh Iqbal Khan, Foreign Office Spokesman, Masood Khan, Pakistan's Ambassador to Indonesia, Syed Mustafa Anwer Husain, and Head of Chancery, Syed Moazam Husain Shah.
The President Pervez Musharraf has authorised Riaz Khokhar to attend the ARF meeting and to sign the Treaty of Amity and Co-operation in Jakarta, besides assuming Pakistan's seat in the forthcoming 11th ARF Ministerial Meeting on July 2. The ARF meeting will begin with Pakistan's admission into ARF on the first agenda point. The Foreign Minister of Indonesia, Dr N. Hassan Wirajuda is scheduled to adjourn the meeting for five minutes to invite the special envoy of Pakistan, who till that time is scheduled to be waiting in the VIP Lounge adjacent to ministerial meeting hall.
Thereafter, Pakistani delegation will participate in the deliberations of the 11th ARF ministerial meeting.
Later in the evening, Riaz Khokhar on behalf of the government of Pakistan will sign the Treaty of Amity and Co-operation on behalf of the government. Pakistan will do so after Russia and Japan on the same day.
On the sidelines of ARF the special envoy as scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with the Foreign Minister of New Zealand, Lao PDR, Vietnam, and European Union's representative for common, foreign and security policy.