WASHINGTON: President Asif Ali Zardari will attend a summit of Nato leaders in Chicago this weekend, the Pakistani embassy in Washington said on Tuesday.       

The meeting of heads of state from Nato nations is expected to focus on Western plans to gradually withdraw troops from Afghanistan, where the Taliban continues its insurgency over a decade after its government was toppled.

On Tuesday, Nato said it had invited Pakistan to the summit, ending speculation Pakistan might be excluded due to a long period of testy ties severely strained by a Nato air strike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in November.

Nadeem Hotiana, a spokesman for the Pakistani Embassy in Washington, said Zardari was now planning to attend the summit, which takes place May 20-21 in President Barack Obama's hometown of Chicago.