Wednesday, April 19, 2006
The G8, NATO, SCO and Iran
A report on April 18 in the Asia Times Online.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which maintained it had no plans for expansion, is now changing course. Mongolia, Iran, India and Pakistan, which previously had observer status, will become full members. SCO's decision to welcome Iran into its fold constitutes a political statement. Conceivably, SCO would now proceed to adopt a common position on the Iran nuclear issue at its summit meeting June 15.
The timing of the statement of Iran's full membership of SCO is significant. It comes a couple of weeks before the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency is due to report to the United Nations Security Council on Iran's compliance with the IAEA resolutions. The SCO is expected to adopt a common "energy strategy", jointly undertaking pipeline projects, oil exploration and related activities.
So far NATO has ignored SCO. . . If it recognizes that SCO has a habitation and a name (in Central Asia, South Asia and the Gulf), then, what about NATO's claim as the sole viable global security arbiter in the 21st century? NATO would then be hard-pressed to explain the raison d'etre of its expansion into the territories of the former Soviet Union.
Update on 15 June 2006
1. Russia warns against NATO taking in former Soviet Ukraine and Georgia
2. Communique of 2006 SCO summit
Contrary to the speculation above, no full members were created at the SCO summit. The heads of state also entrusted the Council of National Coordinators to make recommendations on the procedure of SCO membership enlargement. . . The next meeting of the Council of Heads of State will be held in Bishkek in 2007.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which maintained it had no plans for expansion, is now changing course. Mongolia, Iran, India and Pakistan, which previously had observer status, will become full members. SCO's decision to welcome Iran into its fold constitutes a political statement. Conceivably, SCO would now proceed to adopt a common position on the Iran nuclear issue at its summit meeting June 15.
The timing of the statement of Iran's full membership of SCO is significant. It comes a couple of weeks before the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency is due to report to the United Nations Security Council on Iran's compliance with the IAEA resolutions. The SCO is expected to adopt a common "energy strategy", jointly undertaking pipeline projects, oil exploration and related activities.
So far NATO has ignored SCO. . . If it recognizes that SCO has a habitation and a name (in Central Asia, South Asia and the Gulf), then, what about NATO's claim as the sole viable global security arbiter in the 21st century? NATO would then be hard-pressed to explain the raison d'etre of its expansion into the territories of the former Soviet Union.
Update on 15 June 2006
1. Russia warns against NATO taking in former Soviet Ukraine and Georgia
2. Communique of 2006 SCO summit
Contrary to the speculation above, no full members were created at the SCO summit. The heads of state also entrusted the Council of National Coordinators to make recommendations on the procedure of SCO membership enlargement. . . The next meeting of the Council of Heads of State will be held in Bishkek in 2007.
# posted by IJ @ 10:19 AM 
