Iran for meeting of regional energy ministers

Shanghai, Jun 15: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad proposed today a meeting of energy ministers from Central Asia, China and Russia and offered to host the group.

He made the comments in a speech at the opening of a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a regional security forum that groups China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and which Iran is attending as an observer.

''The SCO groups both energy-producing nations and energy-consuming ones,'' Ahmadinejad said. ''Energy has been playing an increasing role in national development and progress.

''So the Islamic Republic of Iran proposes a meeting of SCO energy ministers to discuss the possibility of better cooperation in energy exploration, development and shipping.'' The annual summit has been overshadowed by the presence of Ahmadinejad, whose country is at the centre of a standoff over its nuclear research, which it says purely for energy and civilian use.

But Western powers fear Tehran is developing nuclear weapons and, along with China and Russia, have offered it a package of incentives and penalties aimed at persuading it to give up uranium enrichment.

Iran has yet to respond to the offer and Ahmadinejad made no mention of the dispute.

REUTERS