New initiatives and an anti-terrorism organization will have landmark significance and put the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on a new stage of substantial development, said Zhang Deguang, the current secretary-general of the SCO.

 

The SCO comprises China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

 

"The upcoming summit of SCO heads of state will be of great importance in finding new opportunities and perspectives for cooperation and maintaining security and stability," said Zhang.

 

President Hu Jintao will arrive in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, for a three-day state visit Monday evening. On Thursday, he will attend the summit with other heads of state of SCO member countries.

 

Representatives from the United Nations, European Union, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States will be present at the launching ceremony of the anti-terror entity.

 

"The launch of permanent bodies of SCO of Regional Anti-terrorism Structure in Tashkent and Secretariat in Beijing signifies that the SCO has ended its primary stage and entered a new stage of substantial cooperation," said Zhang.

 

The secretariat of the SCO was launched in January in Beijing.

 

During the summit, SCO members will ink about 19 agreements on politics, economics, law and security.

 

Analysts say that security collaboration is an important part of SCO's cooperative mechanism.

 

Xu Tao, deputy director of the Division for Eurasian Studies with the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, said forging stronger economic ties between member states is also based on security considerations because poverty is a major cause of turbulence.

 

The SCO was the first international organization to advocate the fight against the Three Evil Forces -- terrorism, separatism and extremism.

 

The SCO staged its first military maneuvers in August 2003.

 

Senior officials of security councils of member countries met in Tashkent on June 4. They said it was necessary to develop mechanisms and programs for cooperation between law enforcement bodies of SCO member countries in the fight against the Three Forces.

 

Participants said increased global terrorism activities are connected with the regrouping of international terrorist organizations.

 

The Tashkent-based anti-terror structure has 30 security officials from the six member states. Their main goal is to strengthen the effectiveness of members to collect and exchange security information and to enhance cooperation between other international anti-terrorism organizations, said Zhang. "For example, the members have agreed to take joint action on drug trafficking in order to cut off the funds of terrorism."

 

China earlier announced that Afghan Transitional Government President Hamid Karzai will attend the Tashkent summit as a guest of Uzbek President Islam Abduganiyevich Karimov.

 

"Central Asian countries have very close ties with Afghanistan, especially in the realm of security. For instance, drug trafficking is rampant along the borders of Afghanistan and Central Asian countries," said Xu, noting that it is probably the main reason of Karzai's participation in the upcoming summit.

 

Xu said that the various nationalities and religions of the people residing in Central Asia add to the complexity of regional security issues.

 

"Regional organizations' strength will help handle the increasing religious extremism, terrorism and ethnic separatism," Xu said.

 

However, the SCO is not a military alliance, and it is not only a security organization, either, Zhang said. It began with security cooperation and later included comprehensive cooperation in various fields between the members. Currently, members are also interested in seeing SCO develop a trade component.

 

Zhang described the SCO collaboration in security and economy and trade as "two wheels of a cart," saying he believes economic and trade cooperation will gradually become even more significant. These are key areas of cooperation for the SCO and serve as the material foundation and guarantee for the SCO's smooth development.

 

"Close economic and trade relationships will bring common prosperity to SCO members," said Zhang.

 

Xu also predicted that member countries would team up on economic and trade issues by launching specific cooperation projects in energy and communications.

 

"Because of China's participation, the SCO is quite different in nature from other big powers and blocs in the region," said Xu.

 

(China Daily June 14, 2004)