ISLAMABAD, 29 November 2005 — Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf will attend the 3rd extraordinary summit of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) in the Holy City of Makkah on Dec. 7.
During his tour of the region, he will also visit Kuwait and Yemen in an effort to promote economic and political ties with these countries, an official said yesterday.
“The president will visit Kuwait and Yemen from Dec. 3-6, followed by a two-day tour to Saudi Arabia, where he will attend the 3rd extraordinary summit of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC),” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said.
Musharraf’s visits to Kuwait and Yemen will focus on developing trade and investment with the two Gulf states, Tasnim said.
Kuwait is Pakistan’s third largest trading partner in the Gulf Cooperation Council, after Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE), and there are about 120,000 Pakistanis working in Kuwait whose remittances constitute a large source of foreign exchange.
Musharraf’s visit to Yemen comes after a 15-year hiatus, the Foreign Ministry said.
In Saudi Arabia, the Pakistani president will attend the OIC summit taking place in Makkah on Dec. 7-8, where he will meet with leaders of OIC countries, including Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.
The spokeswoman said Musharraf will put forward a number of proposals before the OIC summit for the reformation of Muslim Ummah and to improve the image of Islamic World in Europe and Americas.
