Shanghai group pact to combat terrorism

By Amit Baruah

SINGAPORE, JUNE 15. China, Russia and four Central Asian Republics today formally launched the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) in Shanghai today as the six nations reiterated their support to the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty.

Indicating the importance they attached to fighting the ``three forces'', the SCO Heads of State signed a ``pact'' to combat terrorism, separatism and extremism. While the text of the pact was not immediately available, People's Daily Online reported that it stipulated the ``specific way and procedure of cooperation'' among the six countries to combat the ``three forces''. It also defined ``terrorism, separatism and extremism''.

``The six countries will join hands to crack down on the three forces, which they say are threatening the territorial integrity and security of the six countries and their political, economic and social stability,'' the official Chinese newspaper said. ``The signing of the Shanghai pact had laid the legal foundation for jointly cracking down on terrorism, separatism and extremism and reflects the firm determination of the six States on safeguarding regional stability,'' the Chinese President, Mr. Jiang Zemin, was quoted as saying at a press conference in Shanghai.

A communique issued by the Heads of State of China, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhastan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan stated that measures must be taken to expedite the setting up of an anti- terrorism centre in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan). On the ABM Treaty (a U.S.-Russia bilateral treaty which the Bush administration wants to abrogate in its push towards missile defence), reports from Shanghai said SCO Defence Ministers declared it to be the ``cornerstone of global stability and disarmament''.

The Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister, Mr. Zhang Deugang, was quoted as saying that SCO leaders were united in their opposition to the anti-missile shield plans of the U.S. ``On missile defence they agreed it would have a negative impact on the safeguarding of world strategic balance and security,'' Mr. Zhang told presspersons after the summit. The communique issued by the SCO Heads of State said they had discussed the current international situation and ``unanimously held'' that the formation of the SCO would ``help promote the multi-polarisation of the world and democratisation of international relations''.

``They (the SCO leaders) expressed their willingness to make active efforts to strengthen global and regional strategic stability, maintain and further perfect the systems of arms control and disarmament treaties,'' it said. ``As proposed by Kazakhstan, the SCO will hold its firm summit of Heads of Government of member-countries in mid-September 2001. The Heads of State agree that the Foreign and Defence Ministers of the SCO member-countries will hold annual meetings to strengthen and expand their co-operation on major international and regional issues, first and foremost on issues concerning security and stability in Central Asia,'' the release said.

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Section  : International
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