Gilani in KSA, Zardari to join in talks

MADINA MUNAWARA: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani will hold wide ranging talks with the custodian of two holy mosques King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz and Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz today (Saturday).

MADINA MUNAWARA: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani will hold wide ranging talks with the custodian of two holy mosques King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz and Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz today (Saturday). Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari will join him in talks.
Earlier on Friday, he arrived here on a three-day official visit to Saudi Arabia to discuss with its leaders close economic cooperation and further strengthening of their bilateral ties.
He was received at the airport by Deputy Governor Madina, Prince Abdullah Al Faiz, senior Saudi officials and Pakistan’s ambassador to the Kingdom.
“Both the countries enjoy special relations rooted in common faith, mutual trust, common understanding and an abiding interest in each other’s security, stability and wellbeing of the people,” Foreign Office Spokesman Muhammad Sadiq told reporters at the weekly briefing.
The talks would focus on further strengthening the comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.
After arriving here, Gilani paid his respects at the Roza-e-Rasool (PBUH) in Madina, offered nawafil there and prayed for the betterment of the country.
Gilani who is on his first official visit to any country after assuming his office, will address the Pakistani community in Jeddah besides performing Umrah. On this occasion, he was accompanied with PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and federal ministers of foreign affairs, defence, commerce, petroleum, food and agriculture and water and power and housing.
The informed sources said the Saudi package being looked for includes free oil and lavish provision of wheat supplies by Saudi Arabia, now said to have abundant food supplies.
In return, the sources said, the prime minister, who would be joined by PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari in talks, would offer the Saudis hundreds of thousands of acres of agricultural land, which could be tilled by the Saudis and the product could be taken away for consumption in the Kingdom.