Putin signs ratification of law changing SCO Secretariat status

Moscow, July 8 (UNI) Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed the federal law ''On the ratification of the Protocol on introducing amendments to the Charter of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) signed in St Petersburg on June 7, 2002.'' The Protocol was adopted by State Duma, the lower house of Parliament, on June 15 and approved by the Federation Council, the upper house, on June 22, 2007, the Kremlin Press Service reported.

The document envisages changing of status and the introduction of additional powers of the SCO Secretariat, that will get the right to coordinate the SCO activities and provide them information for analytical and legal support, to work out proposals on the development of the organisation's cooperation and international relations and to control the fulfilment of decisions made by bodies of the organisation.

The post of the head of the Secretariat has been renamed as Secretary General.

The changes corresponded to the Declaration of the SCO member-states adopted in Astana (Kazakhstan) in July, and to the Declaration of the SCO's fifth anniversary signed in Shanghai in June 2006.

They are expected to further strengthen the Secretariat role and intensification of the SCO activity in general.

UNI