IN BRIEF (Page 4)

Beijing

SCO gathering set next week

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang announced on Wednesday that the 13th Meeting of Security Council Secretaries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization will be held from May 21 to 22 in Beijing. "The meeting is the first of its kind since the SCO accepted new members, and its priority is to make political and security preparations for the SCO Summit to be held next month in Qingdao," Lu told a news conference in Beijing. According to Lu, participants will exchange in-depth views on issues including the regional security situation; cooperation in fighting the "three evil forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism; drug trafficking; and transnational organized crime.