Zardari to attend NATO summit in Chicago
May 18th, 2012 - 12:25 am ICT by IANS
Islamabad, May 17 (IANS) Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari will attend the 25th NATO Summit to be held in Chicago, US, the country’s foreign ministry said Thursday.
According to the foreign ministry, Zardari will attend the May 20-21 summit in Chicago at the invitation of NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. He will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani, Xinhua reported.
In Chicago, Zardari will address the Expanded ISAF Meeting besides meeting various heads of state and governments on the sidelines of the summit.
Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said that the invitation to the NATO summit was unconditional and not linked to the reopening of ground lines of communication for NATO or to any other issue.
The NATO secretary general suggested last Friday that Pakistan could miss out on important talks on the future of Afghanistan if it failed to reopen the supply routes in time to secure a place at the NATO summit.
Pakistan blocked the supply lines for NATO-led forces in Afghanistan after its 24 soldiers were killed in a NATO cross-border air strike last November.
– Indo-Asian News Service
sd/vt
- Zardari leaves for US to attend NATO summit - May 18, 2012
- Zardari-NATO chief meet postponed due to plane delay - May 20, 2012
- Zardari arrives in Chicago for NATO summit - May 20, 2012
- Zardari arrives in Chicago for NATO summit (Lead) - May 20, 2012
- Pakistan to seek $1 bn from NATO - May 20, 2012
- NATO welcomes Pakistan reopening supply lines - Jul 04, 2012
- Pakistan to reopen supply routes to Afghanistan: Clinton (Lead) - Jul 04, 2012
- Airstrikes on Pakistani troops unintended: NATO chief - Nov 27, 2011
- No secret deal with US on NATO route reopening: Khar - Jul 05, 2012
- NATO endorses Obama's exit plan from Afghanistan - May 22, 2012
- Obama to meet Karzai in Chicago - May 18, 2012
- Deal in sight on NATO supply issue: Report - May 20, 2012
- Thousands protest Pakistan's reopening of NATO supply route - Jul 17, 2012
- Pakistan, US to hold talks on new terms of engagement - Apr 17, 2012
- Pakistani Islamic groups oppose NATO supply lines' reopening - Jul 05, 2012
Tags: abbas, anders fogh rasmussen, asian news, asif ali zardari, cross border, foreign minister, foreign ministry, gilani, islamabad, jilani, khar, last friday, last november, nato secretary general, nato summit, pakistani prime minister, rabbani, sidelines, xinhua, yousuf