Malaysian PM Arrives In London For Two-Day Working Visit

From Nor Faridah Abd Rashid LONDON, May 14 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak arrived here Monday morning for a two-day working visit to the United Kingdom. Upon arrival at the Farnborough Airport, about an hour's drive from here, Najib and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, were greeted by Malaysia's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Zakaria Sulong and his wife Hazizah Ahmad. The highlight of Najib's visit will be his attendance at a reception held by The Prince of Wales, His Royal Highness Prince Charles, in conjunction with the conferment of the Royal Charter Award to the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies (OCIS). Najib had been invited by Prince Charles to attend the reception, which will be held at St James Palace on Tuesday evening. The Conferment of the Royal Charter to the OCIS is significant as it marks the first time that an Islamic institution in the UK is conferred such a prestigious status since 1231 when such charters were granted by successive sovereigns. Najib is also scheduled to launch the "Friends of the Barisan Nasional UK" (FBNUK) on Monday afternoon, at the House of Lords. Later in the afternoon, he will witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Felda Global Ventures Holdings Bhd and its two strategic partners. In the evening, he will meet and mingle with members of the Malaysian community in the United Kingdom at "An Evening with the Prime Minister" to be held at a concert hall at the 02 Arena in Greenwich, East London, which can accommodate about 2,000 people. According to Zakaria, the event would enable Malaysians here to interact in an informal manner with the prime minister. -- BERNAMA