09 June 2004 11:07
Pakistan enjoys bright prospects to join Shanghai group: Spokesman
BEIJING, June 9: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has agreed in principle to expand its membership, said a
spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Office Liu Jianchao. "We hope Pakistan's application to this effect will
receive a favourable response from the member countries, when it formally comes under consideration," he said when
asked to comment on the SCO's position on new membership. The official told journalists in Beijing that SCO adopted
principle of openness and prepared to establish links and cooperation with other states and international organizations.
He said Pakistan is an important country in the region and could be helpful in achieving the SCO's objectives. A
consensus has also been reached in the organization to give an 'observer status' to the interested countries.
It has been decided that the regulations for observer's status will be approved at the Tashkent summit, to be held
on June 17. After the relevant parties reached an agreement upon consultation, the system of giving membership will also
be brought to the agenda of the SCO, the spokesman added. Pakistan applied for its membership back in September 2000,
and up till now its application is pending for consideration. China has always been supporting Pakistan's entry
into SCO. It is hoped that the other member countries, Russia Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan will
also take positive view on Pakistan's request. Liu said the Tashkent summit meeting will be the SCO's first
meeting since the organization entered a new stage of development, which will be of great importance to further promote
its role in regional and international affairs. The purpose of the Tashkent summit meeting is to deepen the cooperation
among SCO members in the security, trade and economic areas. During the meeting, heads of state of the member states
will make important decisions on cooperation in various fields like diplomacy, security, economy and transport, and also
will sign a series of agreements and documents. Meanwhile, the Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Li Hui at a press
briefing said the organization is still very young and the six SCO members need to have further discussions before
deciding whether or not to accept new members. Li said a regulation on the observer status will be ratified at the
upcoming summit, which will give the organization a larger space in the diplomatic field. The official said the SCO has
increased importance during the past three years since its founding. "Many countries believe that the organization
has become an important force in maintaining regional stability and there are more and more countries expressing
willingness to join the organization," he added. Li said "Currently we have no regulations and laws about new
membership. But I believe it will be possible for some countries to attend SCO meetings as observers in the near
future." The organization was formally established in June 2001 and grew out of efforts in the 1990s to strengthen
confidence-building measures in the Central Asian border regions and fight regional terrorism, religious extremism and
separatism. It has been decided that the regional anti-terror center of the SCO will be officially launched at Tashkent
summit. An agreement on the establishment of the center was signed by SCO members in June 2002 at the St. Petersburg
summit, which aims to facilitate cooperation between the six member states in their fight against terrorism, Li
added.
(THROUGH ASIA PULSE)
[Pakistan Press International Information Services Limited] |
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