Shanghai: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad urged China, Russia and other Asian nations on Thursday to combine their economic and diplomatic clout to bolster the region's resistance to the United States.
Amid a deepening feud with the West over Iran's nuclear program, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made the appeal at a summit meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which groups China, Russia and nine Central and South Asian nations.
Noting that the group comprised some of the world's biggest energy producers and consumers, Ahmadinejad said greater cooperation among members would produce a powerful bloc.
"It can turn the SCO into a strong, influential economic, political and trading institution at both regional and international levels and prevent the threats of domineering powers and their aggressive interference in global affairs," Ahmadinejad said at an open session.
Ahmadinejad's remarks were the most strident, but not the only call for the grouping to stand up to the West and emerge as an alternative to US-led multinational organisations.
Russian President Vladimir Putin called for closer military ties to combat terrorism.
Uzbekistan's Islam Karimov criticised unnamed outside interests for sowing discord in the region.
The rhetoric seemed likely to heighten concerns in the administration of US President George W Bush that the Shanghai grouping is emerging as an anti-US bloc.
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