Pubdate: Thu, 14 Jun 2001
Source: Times of Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan)
Copyright: 2001 The Times of Central Asia
Contact:  http://www.times.kg/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1202

TERRORISM, DRUGS AND NMD ON AGENDA AS CHINA HOSTS "SHANGHAI FIVE"

SHANGHAI -- The presidents of China, Russia and four Central Asian states 
begin two days of talks Thursday on regional security issues such as 
Islamic militancy, drug smuggling and organised crime.

Regional powerbrokers China and Russia were also expected to rally 
opposition to US President George W. Bush's plans to build a missile 
defence shield during the discussions in the eastern Chinese city of Shanghai.

Security was tight for the meeting of the "Shanghai Five" forum -- which 
also comprises Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan -- with heavy police 
deployment around the meeting venues across the city.

The forum was set up in 1996 to scale down Sino-Soviet Cold War troop 
deployments, but has now evolved into a security mechanism aimed at 
combating instability in the Central Asian region.

As part of efforts to crush growing Islamic militancy, the leaders are to 
sign a new anti-terrorist agreement and admit Uzbekistan as a sixth member. 
They will also establish the forum as a "multilateral regional organisation".

The Uzbek regime of President Islam Karimov has faced successive summer 
offensives from Islamic rebels in the Ferghana Valley straddling 
Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

Analysts say Karimov needs the support of Moscow to deal with the Islamic 
Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), while Russia in turn believes the IMU is 
fueling the conflict in its breakaway southern republic of Chechnya.

China fears Islamic militants in Central Asia will encourage separatism in 
the troubled northeastern Xinjiang region, where Uighur Islamic militants 
have carried out violent anti-government attacks in recent years.

Speaking in Moscow before his departure for Shanghai, Russian President 
Vladimir Putin said concrete measures were needed to fight the scourges of 
organised crime, arms and drug trafficking, and terrorism in the region.

"Russia's withdrawal from Central Asia after the fall of the Soviet Union 
created a vacuum ... which religious extremists and terrorist organisations 
are trying to fill," Putin said.

At the summit, Putin is to push Russia's attempt to set up a rapid reaction 
force based in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek to repel incursions into Central 
Asia from Islamic militant training camps in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.

The Russian leader is to meet Thursday with Chinese President Jiang Zemin, 
the first of three meetings in three months as the two countries develop a 
strategic alliance to counter US domination of world affairs.

Top of the agenda is Bush's attempts to scrap the 1972 Anti-Ballistic 
Missile Treaty and build a national missile defence (NMD) shield, a move 
resolutely opposed by both Beijing and Moscow.

The meeting comes just two days before Putin meets Bush in Slovenia for 
their first summit, and as the American leader tours Europe trying to win 
support for his missile shield plans from sceptical NATO allies.

The "Shanghai Five" forum has traditionally focused on security issues, 
although Chinese officials say efforts will be made during the two days of 
talks to initiate an economic dialogue between the members.

Both China and Russia have their eye on the oil and gas resources of 
Central Asia, in particular Kazakhstan, and both countries are keen to 
offset growing US investment in the region's energy industry.

Chinese President Jiang is also due to hold bilateral talks with Kazakh 
counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev, President Askar Askayev of Kyrgyzstan, 
Uzbek President Karimov and Tajik leader Emomali Rakhmonov.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens