Sharif Hopes To Meet Trump Early Into The Latter’s Term 

As part of Pakistan’s Washington overtures, its Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is hoping to meet incoming President Donald Trump during a likely visit to the US in the first quarter of next year, media reports in Islamabad said today (4 December).

The US Foreign Office was, however, tight-lipped about the plan, which the News International said, would be worked out through diplomatic channels soon after Trump assumes office on 20 January.

Pakistan has decided to maintain its ties with the US on the cardinal principle of mutual respect while addressing each other's concerns in a dignified manner once the Donald Trump administration is at the helm of affairs in Washington, the report said.

The Pakistan standpoint in this regard would be conveyed to think-tanks in the US later this week during Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Syed Tariq Fatemi's visit to Washington, it said.

Fatemi will also have extensive interaction with those likely to be part of Trump's team in various departments, particularly in the State Department.

A significant meeting with one of the top officials of the US with Sharif will take place next month in Davos (Switzerland) on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF), the report noted.

With inputs from IANS.