The meeting between President Asif Ali Zardari and NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen, which was delayed due to delayed arrival of the flight of President Zardari, will now be held on Monday.
“This cancellation was due to a scheduling problem,” said NATO spokeswoman Carmen Romero, on the eve of a two-day NATO summit being held in Chicago.
“Mr Zardari’s plane was delayed” which meant the talks with the NATO secretary general could not go ahead as planned, she said.
She added that a bilateral meeting could still be held between the two men before the summit ends on Monday.
Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says the Alliance cannot solve the problems in Afghanistan without the positive engagement of Pakistan.
Speaking at a Policy Forum in Chicago before the summit‚ he said NATO is looking forward to work with Pakistan to solve the problems.
He said during his meeting with Pakistani President Asif Zardari‚ he will discuss the matter with him.
Earlier, presidential spokesman, Farhatullah Babar said Pakistani and NATO officials were working to reschedule the meeting.
The president and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen are in Chicago for the Alliance’s summit, which seeks international support for Afghanistan beyond 2014, when the US-led forces plan to end their combat mission in the country.
Babar said Zardari would hold meetings with world leaders on bilateral and regional issues, especially peace and security in Afghanistan and the region.
Rasmussen had extended an unconditional invitation to him to attend the summit.
Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani are part of the delegation to 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.
Zardari-Rasmussen meeting on Monday
