¡¡BEIJING, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao on Monday hailed the joint anti-terrorism exercises conducted by Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states, saying they will strengthen the c apability to combat terrorism and maintain regional peace.

    In a joint interview with media representatives from the six member states, Hu said cross-border drugs crime remained one of the major problems facing the SCO.

    Member states had signed a cooperation agreement against the trafficking of narcotics in June 2004. The SCO had also assisted the Afghan government's anti-drugs campaign and set up a liaison group with Afghanistan last year.

    Afghan President Hamid Karzai had been invited to the upcoming SCO summit. Hu believes it will help promote the control of illegal drugs in the region.

    "It is the original intention as well as the key mission of the SCO to jointly maintain peace, security and stability in the region," he said.

    On the day the SCO was founded, the six heads of state signed the Shanghai Pact on fighting terrorism, separatism and extremism,Hu said. A regional anti-terror center was launched in Tashkent during the SCO summit in 2004.

    "The SCO is one of the earliest international organizations to hold up the banner of fighting against terrorism, and has played an important role in coordinating anti-terrorism cooperation among member states," he said.

    The SCO had held three joint anti-terrorism exercises, Hu said,adding member states had cooperated in information exchanges and judicatory assistance.

    Next year, SCO member states will hold a joint anti-terrorism exercise in Russia. "All these measures have produced and will continue to exert an active influence in enhancing the capability to combat terrorism and maintaining regional peace and stability,"Hu said.

    Established in 2001, the SCO comprises China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Since 2004, the SCOh as accepted Mongolia, Iran, Pakistan and India as observers.

    Heads of states of the six SCO member countries as well as the observers will attend the upcoming summit scheduled on June 15 in Shanghai, on China's eastern coast. Enditem