BEIJING, April 4: China hoped that President Pervez Musharraf would attend the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) that is scheduled to take place in Shanghai in June. A spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Liu Jianchao, told reporters at a weekly news briefing here on Tuesday that China, being a host country, has invited state leaders from member and observer countries of the SCO to attend the summit.

It would be an important meeting of state leaders to open new avenues of cooperation at the regional level, promoting peace and stability, economic cooperation and personal exchanges.

China, he added, is prepared to facilitate participating countries to make the summit successful.

Diplomatic sources told APP that Pakistan had already conveyed to the Chinese leadership its resolve to play an active role in the SCO in tackling common problems and achieving its socio-economic goals.

Pakistan, which currently enjoys observer status in the organization, was looking forward to attaining full membership. The matter came under discussion during a recent meeting held in Beijing between President Musharraf and the SCO’s Secretary-General Zhang Deguang.

In an interview, the secretary-general said that all member states of the organization attach great importance to Pakistan and wished to develop close interaction in all areas of common interest.

There is a large space and good prospects for cooperation between the two sides, he added.

Mr Zhang said that he was looking forward to having a follow-up meeting with President Musharraf at the Shanghai summit.—APP