By Qiang Pen (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-08-10 07:07

The anti-terror drill of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) kicked off in style yesterday.

About 1,600 officers and soldiers of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) are taking part in first joint military exercise by the six member countries of the SCO called "Peace Mission 2007".

The August 9-17 exercise is being conducted simultaneously in Urumqi, capital of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomus Region, and Chelyabinsk in Russia's the Ural Mountainous region.

The joint drill by China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan "is not intended at a third party," said Liang Guanglie, chief of the General Staff of the PLA in Urumqi where the war game was launched. "Nor does it pose a threat to any country."

In total, 6,500 troops and 80 aircraft will take part in the drill. They include 2,000 troops from Russia, which will also contribute 36 aircraft.

"The joint drill is aimed at curbing the three evils - terrorism, separatism and extremism -- to ensure a safe environment for the peace and development," Assistant Foreign Minister Li Hui said at a news briefing yesterday.

President Hu Jintao will visit Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Russia from August 14 to August 18, Li said. He will attend the SCO summit in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan, after which he will visit Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.

Hu and the heads of states of the five other SCO member nations will watch the drill in Russia on August 17.

Li said the SCO summit is being held in the backdrop of the huge progress made by the six member countries in a fast changing world. "This is the right time to summarize the past and plan the future," Li said.

The international community sees the "Shanghai Spirit", which embodies mutual trust and benefit, equality, respect for cultural diversity and a desire for common development, as an example of how to handle international relations.

SCO member states are expected to sign a treaty on long-term friendship and cooperation during the summit. "The treaty will act as a legal document to ensure permanent peace and further development in the region," Li said.

The President of Mongolia Nambaryn Enkhbayar, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers will attend the summit as observers. Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov and UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe will participate as guests.

President Hu's visit to Kyrgyzstan is very important, Li said. It's his first visit to that country, coinciding with the 15th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries, and the fifth anniversary of the signing of China-Kyrgyzstan Friendly Treaty on Good-Neighborly Cooperation.

Hu will hold talks with Kyrgyzstan President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, and the two sides will sign a series of cooperation agreements in fields such as politics, trade and economy, agriculture and education.

Xinhua contributed to this story

(China Daily 08/10/2007 page2)