TASHKENT - Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) have gathered for a summit in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, to discuss the situations in Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan, as well as to explore the possibility of expanding the bloc.

The meeting will focus on Afghan drug trafficking and restoring order in the troubled Central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan, following the overthrow of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev in April.

The summit's agenda also includes the discussion of procedures for accepting new members to the bloc, which currently consists of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

An anticipated outcome of the summit is the drafting a blueprint for expanding the SCO's membership, senior Kremlin foreign policy aide Sergei Prikhodko said.

Iran, India, Mongolia and Pakistan have observer status in the organization, while Belarus and Sri Lanka were granted dialogue partner status at the group's 2009 summit in Yekaterinburg, Russia.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad chose to stay away from the summit, though he visited neighboring Tajikistan on Wednesday. On Friday he is due to attend the Iran Day activities at Expo 2010 Shanghai, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said.

China Daily - Agencies

(China Daily 06/11/2010 page3)