VZCZCXRO1091
OO RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #2987/01 2140944
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 010944Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8923
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHAH/AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT IMMEDIATE 0733
RUEHTA/AMEMBASSY ASTANA IMMEDIATE 0069
RUEHEK/AMEMBASSY BISHKEK IMMEDIATE 1339
RUEHTA/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE IMMEDIATE
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD IMMEDIATE 6718
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL IMMEDIATE 0419
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW IMMEDIATE 9051
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI IMMEDIATE 4587
RUEHNT/AMEMBASSY TASHKENT IMMEDIATE 1176
RUEHUM/AMEMBASSY ULAANBAATAR IMMEDIATE 3625
RUEHDE/AMCONSUL DUBAI IMMEDIATE 0101

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 002987 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/01/2018 
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR MOPS CH IN IR MG PK RS
SUBJECT: IRANIAN SCO MEMBERSHIP LOOKS UNLIKELY, SAY 
CONTACTS IN BEIJING 
 
REF: STATE 82513 
 
BEIJING 00002987  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Aubrey Carlson for reasons 
1.4 (B/D). 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY:  Sources at the Shanghai Cooperation 
Organization (SCO) Secretariat, Chinese MFA and Russian 
Embassy told PolOff separately that it is unlikely Iran will 
join the SCO in the near future.  Rather than adding new 
members, the SCO intends to have "dialogue partners" to 
promote cooperation on specific issues with other countries 
and organizations.  Concerning Manas Air Base in Kyrgyzstan, 
the Chinese MFA said China shares the U.S. goal of stability 
and security in Central Asia and would not support any 
statement at the upcoming SCO summit that runs counter to 
that goal or "which is aimed at a third party."  End summary. 
 
¶2. (C) PolOff delivered reftel points to MFA Department of 
European and Central Asian Affairs SCO Division Deputy 
Director Mao Wenchong and to SCO Secretariat Senior Expert 
Umid Azizov on August 1, urging China and the SCO Secretariat 
to refrain from supporting any statement calling for the 
closure of the Manas Air Base in Kyrgyzstan and to oppose 
Iran's attempt to upgrade from observer to member status. 
PolOff also discussed the upcoming SCO summit with SCO 
Secretary General Bolat Nurgaliyev on July 30 and with 
Russian EmbOff Denis Agafonov on July 24. 
 
Iranian Membership in SCO Unlikely 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (C) MFA's Mao said China welcomes cooperation with SCO 
observer states, including Iran.  However, he added, the SCO 
has not worked out a process for admitting new members and 
SCO members do not want to admit observer states that would 
"bring their problems and conflicts into the SCO."  He 
pointed out that Iran and other observer states have the 
right to take part in SCO meetings and express their views 
but do not enjoy any decision-making authority in the SCO. 
Mao added that the views of observer states do not 
necessarily reflect the views of SCO members. 
 
¶4. (C) SCO Secretary General Nurgaliyev downplayed the 
possibility of SCO expansion.  He said the SCO plans to set 
up an expert working group to work out criteria for new 
members, but added that the SCO has not seriously discussed 
extending membership to any new states.  SCO Secretariat 
Senior Expert Azizov seconded this view, although he 
mentioned that Tajikistan, as the summit host and supporter 
of Iranian membership, might attempt to get the issue of 
Iranian membership onto the summit agenda.  In spite of Iran 
and Pakistan's interest in becoming members, both Nurgaliyev 
and Azizov said, the SCO is not prepared to admit new members 
until the existing member states have resolved major 
differences and improved cooperation.  While admitting that 
the possibility of SCO expansion "cannot be excluded," 
Nurgaliyev said that the organization would have to be 
convinced that the pluses of a new member outweigh the 
minuses, a situation he calls "very unlikely" in the next 
couple years. 
 
¶5. (C) Our Russian Embassy contact was also skeptical of 
Iranian membership.  Agafonov told PolOff that Iranian 
membership in SCO is "hard to imagine" and "definitely would 
not happen" at the SCO Summit in Dushanbe in August.  In his 
view, if Iran were to join, there would be pressure to admit 
India and Pakistan.  The SCO cannot afford to have two member 
states with such serious disputes as exist between India and 
Pakistan. 
Manas Air Base 
-------------- 
 
¶6. (C) Concerning possible SCO statements about the Manas Air 
Base in Kyrgyzstan, MFA's Mao said that China would not 
support any statements "aimed at a third party" or "departing 
from" our shared goal of peace, stability and economic 
development in Afghanistan.  SCO's Azizov stated that the SCO 
secretariat is currently working on a draft summit 
declaration but declined to comment on whether or not the 
 
BEIJING 00002987  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
draft contains language about "foreign forces" in Central 
Asia. 
 
SCO Wants Dialogue Partners, Not New Members 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (C) SCO's Nurgaliyev announced at a press conference on 
July 30 that the SCO will create a "dialogue partner" status 
for countries and organizations seeking greater cooperation 
with the SCO.  This status will allow countries and 
organizations that "share the aims of the SCO" to cooperate 
more closely with SCO member states.  Nurgaliyev told PolOff 
that the SCO does not have any particular country in mind for 
dialogue partner status but mentioned that a country seeking 
cooperation on a particular issue, such as energy, could 
apply for this status.  MFA's Mao mentioned Turkmenistan and 
Afghanistan as possible SCO dialogue partners and said China 
would "welcome" U.S. interest in acquiring dialogue partner 
status. 
 
RANDT