NEW YORK President Asif Ali Zardari arrived in New York on Monday to attend the UN General Assembly and hold talks on the “war on terror” with US President George W. Bush and other leaders, an official said.

Zardaris travel plans were earlier in doubt after a bomb blast at the Marriott hotel in Pakistans capital Islamabad on Saturday left at least 60 people dead and wounded more than 260 in a massive fireball.

He will meet Bush as scheduled on Tuesday for the first time and “will apprise him of the blast as part of the discussions on joint efforts to wage the war on terror,” Pakistani spokesman Nadeem Kiani told AFP.

“This is their first meeting on official capacity and therefore it is only natural that they have many issues to talk about on bilateral relations,”spokesman Kiani said.

Zardari is also scheduled to meet with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as well as other leaders such as those from Turkey and South Korea.

The talks with Bush come just three days before the US leader meets Karzai, and as drones apparently operated by US troops from Afghanistan constantly strike targets in the tribal border areas of northwest Pakistan.

The talks between Bush and Zardari “are expected to focus on cooperation in combating terrorism, strengthening the economy and fostering democracy in Pakistan,” White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said last week.