WASHINGTON, May 23: Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri is expected to arrive here in the second week of June as Pakistan looks at the possibility of a series of high-level visits later this year.
Mr Kasuri, who is expected in Washington on June 9, will hold a series of meetings with senior US officials and lawmakers but his schedule is still being finalized. He is also expected to hold a separate meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for talks on issues of bilateral interest.
Pakistan is also looking at the possibility of a visit to Washington by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz in July while President Pervez Musharraf may visit the US capital in September. These two high-level visits, however, have not yet been finalized as the government in Islamabad is yet to decide whether both the leaders need to come or just one visit would be sufficient.
Mr Kasuri’s visit would follow that of US Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca who arrives in Islamabad on Tuesday. The proposed sale of F-16 fighter jets to Islamabad would figure prominently in the visits of Ms Rocca to Islamabad and Mr Kasuri to Washington.