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Subject: Vietnam News Dec 29
Evidence proves Vietnam's sovereignty of Paracels
and Spratley archipelagoesVietnam has sufficient historical and legal evidence to prove its irrefutable sovereignty of the Hoang Sa (Paracels) and Truong Sa (Spratley) archipelagoes, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson affirmed on December 27.
The spokesperson was responding to questions from foreign correspondents prompted by a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson's statement of December 26 asserting "undisputed sovereignty over the Spratley archipelago and the surrounding waters."
The spokesperson said Vietnam's proposals for solutions to disputes about the islands were very clear and had been declared time and time again.
She then quoted a joint statement signed by Vietnam and China on December 25 during Vietnam's President Tran Duc Luong's visit to China saying: "The two sides agreed to maintain the existing negotiation mechanisms on marine issues and to persist in seeking a fundamental and everlasting solution acceptable to both sides through peaceful negotiations."
The spokesperson said the statement made it clear that "pending that solution, the two sides will - in the spirit of tackling easier issues before the difficult - actively explore possibilities and measures for co-operating in environmental protection, meteorology, hydrology, disaster prevention and disaster mitigation."
"At the same time, they will not take any action to complicate or aggravate disputes, nor will they resort to force or threat of force. If there are disputes, they will consult each other in a timely manner and adopt a cool and constructive attitude so as not to allow such disputes to impede the normal development of bilateral ties". (VNA)
Two new laws announced
The Law on Drug Control and the Law on Insurance Business were announced at a press conference at the Presidential Office on December 28.
Deputy Director of the Presidential Office, Nguyen Van Bich, who chaired the conference, said that President Tran Duc Luong signed a decree on December 22 to announce these laws which were approved at the eighth session of the 10th National Assembly on December 9.
Deputy Public Security Minister Nguyen Van Tinh and Deputy Finance Minister Tran Van Ta, on behalf of the drafting agency on these laws, presented the correspondents with the necessity to promulgate these new laws, their lay-out and contents and answered questions put by correspondents.
The Law on Drug Control includes eight chapters with 56 articles and the Law on Insurance Business includes nine chapters with 129 articles.
RoK helps flood victims
The Republic of Korea (RoK) has provided Vietnam with VND 150 million to help flood victims in the Cuu Long (Mekong) River delta and poor people.
The Korean consul general to Ho Chi Minh City, Yoo Young Bang, handed over the money to the vice chairwoman of the municipal People�s Committee, Pham Phuong Thao, on December 28.
The money was collected from a charity fair jointly held on November 25 by the Consulate of RoK in Ho Chi Minh City, the RoK Businessmen�s Association, the RoK Women�s Union, the city�s union of friendship associations and the Vietnam-RoK Friendship Association.
