KUALA LUMPUR: The Yang Dipertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan Tuanku Muhriz Ibni Almarhum Tuanku Munawir today chaired the 260th Meeting of the Conference of Rulers at Istana Negara here.

The last meeting was held last June and was chaired by the Raja of Perlis Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Putra Jamalullail.

Before the meeting started at 11 am today, Tuanku Muhriz took the salute at a Grand Guard of Honour (KKU) mounted by the First Batallion of the Royal Malay Regiment at the palace's Main Square, before planting a tree at the compound of the Istana Negara to symbolise his chairing of the meeting..

Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah also graced the tree-planting ceremony.

The KKU and the tree-planting ceremony were mooted by Al-Sultan Abdullah and had never been held prior to His Majesty's appointment as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

The KKU was held for the first time at the 254th edition of the meeting, while the tree planting initiative was introduced at the 255th meeting.

The 260th Meeting of the Conference of Rulers, being held for two days from today, is also attended by Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin, the Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, the Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, the Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Shah, the Sultan of Kedah Sultan Sallehuddin Sultan Badlishah and the Sultan of Terengganu Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin.

Pahang is represented by the Regent of Pahang Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah Al-Sultan Abdullah and Kelantan by the Tengku Mahkota Kelantan Tengku Dr Muhammad Faiz Petra.

The meeting is also attended by the Yang Dipertua Negeri of Penang Tun Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak, Yang Dipertua Negeri of Melaka Tun Mohd Ali Rustam, Yang Dipertua Negeri of Sabah Tun Juhar Mahiruddin and the Yang Dipertua Negeri of Sarawak Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud.

At the meeting, the Malay Rulers are accompanied by their respective Menteri Besar, while the Yang Dipertua Negeri by their respective Chief Minister, except Sarawak, by the Deputy Premier.

-- BERNAMA