Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) gathered in Astana, Kazakhstan Tuesday to discuss strategies for closer regional cooperation in a range of fields from economy to anti-terrorism.

According to officials of the SCO secretariat, the Astana summit will focus on issues such as the implementation of cooperation agreements already reached among the SCO members, the reform of the United Nations, anti-terrorism, and communication with non-member countries and international organizations.

At the summit, Chinese President Hu Jintao is expected to put forward proposals on expanding regional cooperation in security, economy and trade, said a Chinese official.

The official said that on the sidelines of the summit, Hu will meet leaders of the SCO member countries to exchange views on major bilateral, regional and world issues.

The SCO groups China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Combating terrorism, extremism and separatism, and promoting economic and trade cooperation are two important elements driving the development of the SCO.

At the one-day summit, the leaders are also expected to make a decision on whether to grant India, Iran and Pakistan SCO observer status.

On June 7, SCO foreign ministers agreed in principle to grant them observer status as the three are influential countries in the region. Granting them the status would promote cooperation between them and the SCO, they believed.

The organization was formed in June 2001 to promote effective cooperation among the six member states in politics, economy, trade, energy, transportation and other fields, and to safeguard peace, security and stability in the region.

In an interview with Xinhua last month, SCO Secretary-General Zhang Deguang said the organization has laid out several workshops and 120 projects concerning customs cooperation, cross-border transportation, laws and regulation coherence, energy and railway construction.

"In 20 years, the SCO will try to realize the free flow of commodities, capital, technology and services," he said.

(Xinhua News Agency July 5, 2005)