Chinese, Russian FMs Discuss Afghanistan IssueThe two met here during ministerial meetings of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. They exchanged views on the political solution to the Afghanistan issue, saying that the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Afghanistan should be guaranteed, and that the future government of Afghanistan should have a broad basis and extensive support and should be able to represent the interests of all Afghan ethnic groups. On international efforts to fight against terrorism, Tang reiterated China's principled stand that the Chinese government is firmly opposed to any form of terrorism. China and Russia have a common stand on and shared interests in combating terrorism, and enhanced anti-terrorism cooperation between the two sides will be conducive to maintaining regional and international security and stability, he said. Ivanov said that enhanced anti-terrorism cooperation between his country and China is of great significance, and that Russia is willing to further strengthen coordination and consultation with China in this regard. The two ministers emphasized the need to bring into full play the role of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a newly founded organization that involves China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The SCO is an important means of strategic cooperation between China and Russia in responding to current international circumstances, said Tang. He called for speeding up the formulation of a charter for the SCO, and voiced full support for Russia's proposal to hold a national coordinators' meeting in early December concerning the charter and other issues. His ideas were echoed by Ivanov, who said Russia and China should enhance bilateral cooperation within the framework of SCO. China Advocates Coalition Government in AfghanistanChina holds that a coalition government with a wide-ranging basis be formed in Afghanistan, one which can be accepted by all parties and which is able to get along well with other countries -- the neighboring nations in particular.Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Sun Yuxi made the remarks Tuesday at a regular press conference when asked to comment on the Afghanistan issue. Sun said that the current situation in Afghanistan has much to do with international peace and security. China has always held that the United Nations should play an active role in solving the problem of organizing a feature Afghan government, Sun said. As one of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and one of Afghanistan's neighboring countries, China has been extremely concerned about the development of the situation in Afghanistan, Sun said. China has had contacts with all parties of Afghanistan, mainly to advise them to restore domestic peace, Sun said. The early solution of the Afghanistan issue is not only beneficial to the Afghan people, but conducive to regional peace and stability as well, Sun added. |
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