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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Stir over Iran president’s trip to ‘terror’ conference in China |
| 2006-06-14 |
| A central Asian summit to discuss security issues is likely to be overshadowed by the presence of Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad, the controversial president of Iran, who arrives in Shanghai on Wednesday. He will be an observer at ThursdayÂ’s summit of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation. The five-year-old grouping is one of ChinaÂ’s first attempts at playing a bigger diplomatic role in the region but it is prompting growing concern in the US. Much attention will be focused on how China and Russia behave towards Iran and whether the countries discuss IranÂ’s nuclear fuel programme on the sidelines. China and Russia, both members of the United Nations Security Council, have been much less keen than the US or European governments to seek tougher action against IranÂ’s nuclear programme. China has been trying to build closer relations with a number of Middle Eastern countries, including Iran, because of its ever-growing demand for oil. Iran provides about 13 per cent of ChinaÂ’s imports of oil and Beijing has signed a deal to buy liquefied natural gas from Iran and to allow a Chinese company to exploit the Yadavaran oilfield in Iran. |
| Posted by:lotp |
| #4 They have lovely rugs, too, big jim. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-06-14 23:34 |
| #3 They don't have the economy for "Regional-Global, Empire". All they have is oil, of witch they use a good amount of themselves, and pistachio nuts. That isn't a "Reional-Global Empire", even with nukes. Too many checks on their power, even in the region. I'm not suggesting that they arent crazy and dangerous, mind you. But they havent conquered the world yet. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2006-06-14 11:02 |
| #2 IRAN is going hell-bent for Regional-Global Empire and won't accept in LT being treated as an unequal or minor nation/region by RUSSIA-CHINA. RUSSIA-CHINA = ISRAEL = USA = BRITS-NATO > WORLD NUCLEAR POWERS/STATES > THAT MEANS IRAN MUST HAVE NUKES EVENTUALLY. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2006-06-14 04:41 |
| #1 Iran currently has "observer" status with SCO. This will likely change to full membership. |
| Posted by: Captain America 2006-06-14 01:24 |