ISLAMABAD, Oct 20: President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday jointly chaired a preliminary meeting of the core group of ‘Friends of Democratic Pakistan’.

The meeting was attended by representatives from the United States, UAE, Saudi Arabia, China and the UK.

Federal Minister for Information Sherry Rehman, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance Shaukat Tareen and the foreign secretary also attended the meeting.

Briefing the media after the meeting, Ms Rehman said that the meeting had prepared the ground for the group’s next meeting in the UAE.

“The agenda was to define the parameters and set priorities to enable Pakistan to meet domestic and global challenges.”

She said that the initiative was spearheaded by the president during his visit to the US last month.

“The group symbolises the support that Pakistan is receiving from countries represented on the forum. The extraordinary interest expressed by the core group for the well-being of our nation reflects their confidence in the country’s leadership,” she said.

She said: “The president and the prime minister have reiterated their firm resolve to make this effort a success. President Zardari has said that the group will serve as a strategic setup for advancing Pakistan’s interests and the enhancing of the country’s capacity in all spheres.”

The minister said that the date for the next meeting would be set later. –APP