C Asian alliance calls for date of US pullout

An alliance of Russia, China and central Asian nations called for the US and coalition members in Afghanistan to set a date for withdrawing from member states, reflecting growing unease over America's regional military presence.

Alliance members Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan both host US bases whose troops are involved in Afghanistan.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, at a summit in the Kazakh capital, said in a declaration that a withdrawal date should be set in light of what it said was a decline of active fighting in Afghanistan.

"We support and will support the international coalition which is carrying out an anti-terror campaign in Afghanistan, and we have taken note of the progress made in the effort to stabilise the situation," the declaration said.

"As the active military phase in the anti-terror operation in Afghanistan is nearing completion, the SCO would like the coalition's members to decide on the deadline for the use of the temporary infrastructure and for their military contingents' presence in those countries," the declaration continues.

A Kremlin foreign policy adviser, Sergei Prikhodko, said the declaration was not intended as an ultimatum, "but they have to say how much longer they will stay."

Both Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are former Soviet republics that Moscow regards historically as part of its sphere of influence. The Kremlin did not object when those states agreed to host US troops following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

However, the statement appears to reflect growing uneasiness with the US presence and increasing concerns that the United States is encouraging the overthrow of Central Asia's authoritarian governments.

Earlier Tuesday, leaders at the summit vowed to step up security cooperation and accused unnamed outside forces of trying to destabilise Central Asia.

Their statements follow the violently suppressed uprising in eastern Uzbekistan in May and the March turmoil in Kyrgyzstan, when demonstrators stormed the presidential offices and sent the president fleeing into exile.

Chinese leader Hu Jintao said at the summit that "we have to make every effort to step up security cooperation or else all our talks about stability will be pointless."