http://www.boston.com/dailynews/360/world/China_to_host_anti_terrorism_m:.shtml

China to host anti-terrorism meeting with Russia, Central Asian nations

By Associated Press, 12/26/2001 05:30

BEIJING (AP) Foreign ministers from China, Russia and four Central Asian countries will meet next month to discuss Afghanistan and the war against terrorism, Chinese state media reported Wednesday.

The Jan. 7 meeting in Beijing will bring together ministers from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a regional grouping formed in part to fight Islamic militancy in Central Asia.

''The meeting will make positive contributions to the international fight and cooperation against terrorism,'' Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said.

The group, first established by China, Russia, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in 1996 and originally known as the Shanghai Five, was expanded in June to include Uzbekistan.

Group members initially focused on easing tensions along their shared borders and promoting regional stability. They have since expanded their cooperation to include joint efforts against Islamic extremism and rebels in the region, some of whom received arms and training from the now deposed Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

-- Anonymous, December 26, 2001