Friday, September 19, 2008, Ramazan 18, 1429    

Zardari to meet Bush on Sept 23

M S Tanvir

Islamabad—President Asif Ali Zardari will visit New York from September 22 to lead Pakistan’s delegation at the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.

During his five-day visit besides addressing the UN General Assembly, President Zardari is also expected to meet with President Bush on the sidelines of UN General Assembly session on 23 September to discuss the current scenario, said Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi while talking to reporters here at Foreign Office on Thursday.

The Foreign Minister said President Zardari will also have important meetings with world leaders including Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon. He said the President will also undertake visit to China and dates for his visit are being worked out.

Zardari is also expected to meet Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New York during his visit to US a cabinet minister said on Thursday, for their first talks since Zardari became President.

Pak-India ties have become more tense in recent months following a series of violations of a five-year-old ceasefire on their border in the Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) region, and a July bomb attack on India’s embassy in Kabul that India blamed on Pakistan’s intelligence agency.

Indian Prime Minister said last month the Kabul bombing had cast a shadow over the peace process.