Shanghai defence bloc won't accept Iran as member - report

[TATA]

Shanghai defence bloc won't accept Iran as member - report

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A security bloc grouping Russia, China and Central Asia will not accept Iran as a member while there are U.N. sanctions against it, a Russian diplomatic source said on Saturday.

Iran applied in 2008 to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a security and defence bloc led by Beijing and Moscow and seen as a counterweight to NATO.

The SCO has not officially given a verdict on the Iranian application but Russia's ITAR-TASS news agency quoted the source, speaking during a meeting of SCO foreign ministers in Uzbekistan, as saying that sanctions were an obstacle.

"A country which wants to become a member of the SCO cannot be subject to U.N. Security Council sanctions," the Russian source said.

No SCO candidate member apart from Iran has U.N. sanctions applied against it.

The SCO secretary-general, Muratbek Imanaliyev, had said in February that the bloc was assessing Iran and Pakistan's applications for membership but did not express a view.

At present the SCO membership comprises China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The bloc's activities have focused on military cooperation, intelligence-sharing and the fight against terrorism and drugs.

Iran, Pakistan, Mongolia and India are observers, while Belarus and Sri Lanka have the lesser status of dialogue partners.

The organisation has no formal process for admitting new members and ITAR-TASS reported that the SCO foreign ministers had agreed rules on this to present for approval to the next SCO heads of government summit on June 10-11.

Moscow and Beijing have so far been reluctant to admit Tehran because of Western concerns about the country's nuclear programme, analysts say. Moscow would like to see its close military and strategic ally India become a full member of the SCO but New Delhi has shown little interest so far.

(Reporting by Dmitry Sergeyev, Writing by Michael Stott; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

Shanghai defence bloc won't accept Iran as member - report | World | Reuters

 

[nVIDA]

Wondering why this member @TATA is so busy over China

 

[SpArK]

India, Pak may be inducted into Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
PTI, May 23, 2010, 04.17pm IST


MOSCOW: India and Pakistan are likely to be inducted into the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) while Iran may miss the bus as the country is already under UN sanctions for its nuclear programmes.

"The country aspiring to join SCO should not be under the UN Security Council sanctions," a Russian diplomatic source was quoted as saying by ITAR-TASS.

At their meeting in Tashkent the foreign ministers of the SCO, a regional security grouping, have approved draft procedures and criteria for the admission of new members to the regional grouping, which would be finalised at the SCO summit next month in Tashkent under the rotating presidency of Uzbekistan.

The Russia-China led SCO has closed its doors for Iran as it is under UN sanctions, ahead of its expansion to include India and Pakistan in the regional grouping.

"The document sets out the start of the process of forming a legal base for the expansion of the organisation," Uzbek Foreign Minister Vladimir Norov announced in Tashkent.

Iran has been pushing hard to seek full membership of the organisation and in spite of a wave of opposition protests in Tehran over presidential poll outcome, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had flown to Yekaterinburg to attend the SCO summit, also attended Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.

Iran is facing fresh bout of UN sanctions for its nuclear programme. Despite an initiative by Turkey and Brazil under which Iran has agreed to ship much of its low enriched uranium abroad in a nuclear fuel swap deal but the US said moves for toughened sanctions would still go ahead.

Currently India, Iran, Pakistan and Mongolia have an observer status in the SCO. Earlier at several occasions India and Pakistan have also voiced their willingness to join SCO, when it would adopt criteria and procedures for admission of new members of the grouping, which has began to play a significant role in combating terrorism, drug trafficking and cross-border organised crime.

"The procedure of admitting new members is of great importance for the SCO future. The adoption of this document at the Tashkent summit on June 10-11 will give an impulse to the formation of a mechanism of the organisation's expansion," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko underscored.

He said it is a unique floor for dialogue between the great Chinese, Indian, Russian and Central Asian civilisations and cultures which meet in the vast region.

 

[SpArK]

SCO's norms for new admissions

In a historic decision, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) has approved draft rules for admitting new members into the six-member regional security grouping.

The new rules were endorsed by the SCO Foreign Ministers at their meeting in Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan, on Saturday. The rules are expected to be finally approved by the Heads of State of the SCO at a summit meeting next month in Tashkent.

Saturday's decision signals the lifting of a moratorium on the admission of new members the SCO introduced shortly after its establishment in 2001. The SCO comprises Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

However, it will take time before the expansion process begins. The adoption of the admission rules “will launch the process of forming a mechanism for the expansion of the organisation,” said the SCO Foreign Ministers.

The nations which have observer status — India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan — would be prime candidates for full membership. Iran will not immediately be able to enrol as the rules lock out nations that are under U.N. Security Council sanctions, a Russian diplomat said.

The Hindu : News / International : SCO's norms for new admissions

 

[SpArK]

India & Pakistan joining China and Russia in a group to counter NATO..US will surely gets pissed off.

 

[WAQAS119]

GOD forbid any bad news from any side in next few weeks or months because US will not sit quietly for sure

 

[Hafizzz]

Shanghai defence bloc won't accept Iran as member - report

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A security bloc grouping Russia, China and Central Asia will not accept Iran as a member while there are U.N. sanctions against it, a Russian diplomatic source said on Saturday.

Iran applied in 2008 to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a security and defence bloc led by Beijing and Moscow and seen as a counterweight to NATO.

The SCO has not officially given a verdict on the Iranian application but Russia's ITAR-TASS news agency quoted the source, speaking during a meeting of SCO foreign ministers in Uzbekistan, as saying that sanctions were an obstacle.

"A country which wants to become a member of the SCO cannot be subject to U.N. Security Council sanctions," the Russian source said.

No SCO candidate member apart from Iran has U.N. sanctions applied against it.

The SCO secretary-general, Muratbek Imanaliyev, had said in February that the bloc was assessing Iran and Pakistan's applications for membership but did not express a view.

At present the SCO membership comprises China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The bloc's activities have focused on military cooperation, intelligence-sharing and the fight against terrorism and drugs.

Iran, Pakistan, Mongolia and India are observers, while Belarus and Sri Lanka have the lesser status of dialogue partners.

The organisation has no formal process for admitting new members and ITAR-TASS reported that the SCO foreign ministers had agreed rules on this to present for approval to the next SCO heads of government summit on June 10-11.

Moscow and Beijing have so far been reluctant to admit Tehran because of Western concerns about the country's nuclear programme, analysts say. Moscow would like to see its close military and strategic ally India become a full member of the SCO but New Delhi has shown little interest so far.

(Reporting by Dmitry Sergeyev, Writing by Michael Stott; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

Shanghai defence bloc won't accept Iran as member - report | World | Reuters

Iran's membership to SCO rejected because of USA. China and Russia
too afraid of USA getting angry.

India & Pakistan joining China and Russia in a group to counter NATO..US will surely gets pissed off.

India is an ALLY OF USA and when India joins SCO doesn't it count as India BETRAYing USA ??? Or is India working as a spy for Uncle SAM inside SCO ???

 

[Nahraf]

What about suspending members that have invaded and occupied land from neighboring countries ? Russia invaded Georgia in 2008 and occupied Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Rules are so arbitrary !

 

[applesauce]

What about suspending members that have invaded and occupied land from neighboring countries ? Russia invaded Georgia in 2008 and occupied Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Rules are so arbitrary !

but russia isnt UN sanctioned

 

[Markus]

India is an ALLY OF USA and when India joins SCO doesn't it count as India BETRAYing USA ??? Or is India working as a spy for Uncle SAM inside SCO ???

If India and US are allies, then India and Russia are even bigger allies.
Even if India joins, what's there to spy in it?

 

[Hafizzz]

If India and US are allies, then India and Russia are even bigger allies.
Even if India joins, what's there to spy in it?

India will SPY on China and Pakistan.

 

[AbuSalam]

India will SPY on China and Pakistan.

whatz thr to spy in that group ? this is just a beginning to checkmate $$ and bring in new currency !!

 

[SpArK]

India will SPY on China and Pakistan.

Through SCO?


You are making me laugh...

 

[Markus]

India will SPY on China and Pakistan.

Common man, SCO or no SCO.

India is already spying on China and Pakistan and vice versa is also true.

RAW is a household name in Pakistan.

How can India increase its spying through SCO? Please share it with us. I will pass it on the to the Indian government.

 

[prototype]

but India had still not shown much energy to join SCO,and i dont think they r even planning to join SCO,what is the relevance of this block which hace China,India and Pakistan side by side considered as a military bloc(totally rubbish) by some people