-Caveat Lector- http://www.tehrantimes.com/News.asp?Da=3/4/02&Cat=2&Num=0#004
KeyConference on Agent Orange Opens in Hanoi HANOI -- U.S. and Vietnamese government scientists and international experts gathered in Hanoi on Sunday for a key meeting on the effects of the toxic Vietnam war defoliant agent Orange. The three-day conference will look at what is known about the effects of the Agent Orange and its major contaminantsh--highly poisonous disjoins -- and consider future research needs. The issue is a tricky one for the United States, which has faced compensation demands from both Hanoi and U.S. veterans for exposure to the toxic defoliants sprayed to deny Communist soldiers jungle cover during the Vietnam war that ended in 1975. U.S. forces sprayed millions of gallons of agent Orange and other defoliants on Vietnam from 1962 to 1971. Spraying was halted after it was discovered that agent Orange, which contained the disking TH.D., caused cancer in rats. The U.S. government says it hopes the conference will lead to a more precise understanding of the effects of herbicides and other toxic chemicals in Vietnam, with which it normalized ties in 1995. But it stressed it is not about to entertain compensation claims from Vietnam. "U.S. Vietnam-relations were normalized in 1995 after Vietnam dropped claims war reparations/compensation," a U.S. embassy statement said. "At the time of normalization, neither compensation nor reparations were granted or contemplated for the future." Asked if this situation could change in the future depending on the outcome of more research, a U.S. embassy spokesman said: "I think the statement speaks for itself." --- Lobbying by Veterans --- The Hanoi conference came about after intense lobbying in the United States by the Vietnam veterans of America, which would like to see more compensation for members who have fallen sick after exposure to agent orange, and assistance to Vietnamese victims. "The Vietnam veterans of America have pushed for over 20 years to make this happen," VVA President Thomas Cory told Reuters in Hanoi. "We have to get the research started and move from there." More than 100,000 veterans have asked the U.S. veterans administration for help for illnesses they feel are associated with Vietnam war service. Only 7,500 are receiving assistance. Vietnam estimates that more than a million of its people were exposed to agent Orange and says it is to blame for tens of thousands of birth defects. Washington argues the scientific evidence is inconclusive and says the conference is aimed at filling holes in research so far. "One of the issues that has always been a concern in trying to start a research program is understanding what the Vietnamese already know about the environmental and health effects," said conference chairman Christopher Portier of the U.S. government's national institute of environmental health sciences. "Much of the research is unpublished and we hear about it in sketchy pieces and parts," Portier said. Observers say conclusive research could have far reaching and expensive consequences in terms of compensation claims for the United States and the Agent Orange makers, Dow Chemical Co. and Monsanto Co. A group of 20,000 U.S. veterans sued the two firms in 1999 and eventually won a $180 million judgement. Agent Orange exposure is also an issue for veterans from other countries who served in Vietnam, including South Koreans, Australians, Thais and New Zealanders. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
