Islamabad: Faced with a worsening economic crisis, President Asif Ali Zardari today discussed measures to address the country's woes by seeking help from Friends of Pakistan group at a meeting that was also attended by US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher.

Zardari was quoted by TV channels as assuring the world community that Pakistan s economic crisis was temporary and steps were being taken on a priority basis to overcome it.

The member states of the Friends of Pakistan group should help the country with more investments and Islamabad would ensure that all investors are provided complete security, Zardari said.

Today s gathering chaired by Zardari was a follow-up to the Friends of Pakistan group s maiden session in New York last month. The group is scheduled to meet in the UAE next month in a bid to garner economic aid for Pakistan.

Besides Boucher, the meeting was attended by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and the envoys and representatives of Britain, France, Germany, the US, Canada, Australia, China, Turkey, UAE, the European Union and the UN.

The members of the Friends of Pakistan group pledged their support for the country s efforts to strengthen democracy and to overcome challenges facing it.

Boucher is visiting Islamabad at a time when the government led by Zardari s PPP is grappling with the Taliban militancy in the country's northwest and a worsening economic crisis.
Source : PTI