Zardari to meet Karzai, Nato chief on summit sidelines

President Asif Ali Zardari arrived here on Saturday to attend the Nato summit and hold meetings with world leaders on bilateral and regional issues, especially peace and security in Afghanistan and the region. Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani are part of the delegation, which will assist the president during the summit. Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Sherry Rehman is already in Chicago, spearheading diplomatic efforts ahead of the summit. President Zardari will meet Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who had extended an unconditional invitation to him to attend the summit. The bilateral engagements on the margins of the May 20-21 summit, scheduled so far, also include President Zardari’s meetings with his Turkish and Afghan counterparts, and the Prime Minister of Australia. The White House had earlier said that so far there was no plan for a separate bilateral meeting between US President Barack Obama and President Zardari, our correspondent in Washington reported. Briefing journalists on the two-day conference, US National Security Adviser Tom Donilon had noted that leaders from 61 countries would attend the summit and President Obama could not have bilateral meetings with all of them. “There’s not a plan at this point to have a separate bilateral meeting with President Zardari, but President Obama will see him during the course of the sessions that we have in Chicago,” he said. President Zardari will brief world leaders about Pakistan’s position on peace and security efforts in the region. On the eve of the summit, Ambassador Sherry Rehman spelled out Islamabad’s position on various issues, including the November 26, 2011 cross-border strikes. In an interview with CNN she said Pakistan has always had a role in the region and the alliance’s summit presented an opportunity to redefine it. “This unconditional invitation to Pakistan is a very positive development. We don’t want interference in Afghanistan, but want to support peaceful security transition, which can also bring stability in Pakistan”, she said. Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, while giving details of the summit to the press, said that future capabilities and strengthening partnerships would be at the top of the agenda of the Chicago Summit. He said that the summit would be an important meeting for the alliance. “This will be a summit of commitment to complete transition in Afghanistan and to support Afghans achieve a stable future”. Besides US President Obama, the summit is being attended by important world leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron. The summit is expected to set the course for the alliance’s future engagement in Afghanistan and the participants will discuss the role of International Security Assistance Force’s (Isaf) mission.