VNA Lao Party extends greetings to new Party General Secretary Nong Duc ManhChairman of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Khamtay Siphandon has sent a message of congratulations to newly-elected General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Nong Duc Manh. In his message, Chairman Siphandon said Nong Duc Manh's election as general secretary of the CPV showed the Party's confidence in his ability and experience. The Lao Party leader also said he believed the Vietnamese people under the leadership of the CPV and General Secretary Manh would obtain greater achievements in the renovation, industrialisation and modernisation process for the goal of a prosperous people, a strong country, and an equitable, democratic and civilised society, thus contributing to the common struggle for peace, national independence, democracy and social progress, for friendship, co-operation and development in the region and the world. He wished for further development of the friendship, solidarity and comprehensive co-operation between the two countries. (VNA) **** Chinese Party leader congratulates new General SecretaryCommunist Party of China General Secretary Jiang Zemin has sent his congratulations to newly-elected general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nong Duc Manh. In his message, Mr Jiang said: "We are pleased to see that since the eighth CPV congress, Vietnam's renovation and socialist construction have continued to develop vigorously, thus bringing new and big changes to the country. "On the principle of building long-term, stable, future-oriented, good-neighbourly and all-round co-operative relations, the China-Vietnam friendship and co-operation have made new and great steps of development and are entering a new period. "We are firmly confident that in the new century, under the CPV's correct leadership, Vietnam's renovation and socialist construction will be further developed. With joint efforts, the traditional friendly and co-operative ties between our two Parties, governments and peoples will be unceasingly consolidated and strengthened." (VNA) **** Special friendship with Laos to be developed: Party leader Newly-elected General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Nong Duc Manh expressed his belief that the special friendship and solidarity and comprehensive co-operation between the Parties and peoples of Vietnam and Laos would be constantly consolidated and developed. This was at the reception extended to Mr Khamtay Siphandon who led the delegation of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) to attend the just-ended Ninth CPV Congress on April 23 he also wished the Lao people, under the clear-sighted leadership of the LPRP headed by Chairman Khamtay Siphandon, ever greater successes in implementing the resolution passed by the LPRP's seventh congress in order to build Laos into a prosperous country and bring a happy life to the Lao people. Mr Khamtay Siphandon, who is Chairman of the LPRP and President of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, congratulated Nong Duc Manh on being elected as the CPV general secretary and said he believed that the CPV would record ever bigger achievements in the renovation process and socialist construction in the early years of the 21st century. (VNA) **** Party leader pledges to boost Vietnam-China tiesNewly-elected Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) General Secretary Nong Duc Manh has affirmed that Vietnam will try its best to strengthen the friendship and co-operation between Vietnam and China, while receiving Mr Hu Jintao, head of the Communist Party of China (CPC) delegation to the Ninth CPV congress, in Hanoi yesterday April 23. "Now as before, Vietnam will do its best to consolidate and develop the Vietnamese-Chinese traditional friendship and co-operation on the principle of building long-term, stable, future-oriented, good-neighbourly and all-round co-operative ties in the 21st century for the benefit of each nation as well as for peace, stability and development in the region and the world at large," Mr Manh said. Mr Hu Jintao, who is member of the Standing Board of the CPC Politburo and vice-president of the People's Republic of China, reiterated that China's Communist Party, government and people attach importance to strengthening their friendly and co-operative relations with Vietnam's Communist Party, government and people. He also wished the Party and people of Vietnam further successes in carrying out the resolution adopted by the just-ended CPV congress. (VNA) **** Party Congress's success welcomed nationwide Cultural activities in Ho Chi Minh City mark the success of Ninth Party Congress. People throughout the country held marches and cultural activities to welcome the success of the Ninth National Party Congress which ended on April 22. Nhan Dan (the People) daily newspaper held a meeting yesterday afternoon to welcome the success of the Ninth National Party Congress and launch an emulation movement to better implement its task of dissemination of information in a bid to bring the congress's Resolution into life. People in Quang Tri central province went to the streets to acclaim the success of the congress. They marched along main streets and gathered in cultural rallying points in residential areas. Meanwhile, Bac Giang northern province displayed panels and posters and held artistic performances and sport contests on the event. Meetings to welcome the success of the congress were also held in many cities and provinces, ministries and organisations nationwide. **** Safety ensured during Party Congress Police units in localities nationwide ensured complete safety during the Ninth National Party Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam. All security-related activities were addressed in a timely manner. In Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and other big cities, the peoplešs police co-ordinated closely with the local Fatherland Fronts and other relevant organisations to ensure social order, traffic order and safety, and public order. All activities of the Party and State leaders, international delegates, and delegates to the Ninth National Party Congress were ensured. The Peoplešs Police force were praised for their high sense of responsibility. **** Students donate blood Can Tho University has recently launched a blood donation movement. More than 200 students have registered to donate blood. Each will donate 200 millilitres of blood. Blood will be tested at the provincial General Hospital. **** World opinions welcome success of Party CongressMass media agencies and foreigners around the world have extended congratulations to the success of the ninth National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, CPV, which closed in Hanoi on April 22. In an exclusive interview to a Vietnam News Agency (VNA) correspondent in Beograd, member of the New Communist Party of Yoguslavia (NKPYu) Leadership Board Branco Ivanovich affirmed his party's high valuation of the achievements, particularly those in politics and socio-economic development, recorded by the Vietnamese people during the course of national renovation under the leadership of the CPV. The NKPYu official wished the CPV to bring the country to successfully build a socialist-regulated market economy and to become prosperous, capable of struggling against schemes and pressure by the US and imperialism. He said he hoped that relations between the CPV and the NKPYu and other communist and workers' parties in the world would be further consolidated and strengthened. Branco Ivanovich also took this occasion to thank the CPV and the Vietnamese people for strongly supporting Yugoslavia in the struggle against the US and NATO's aggression in 1999. In another interview to a VNA correspondent in Brussels, Mme Hoang Thi Huyen Thu, President of the Vietnamese People Association in Belgium, said: "I hope that the congress will bring in a new breeze, encouraging Vietnamese people at home and abroad to make more human and material contributions to turning Vietnam into a prosperous people, a strong country and an equitable, democratic and civilised society." She also took this occasion to ask the Party and government of Vietnam to conduct more cultural exchange activities between local artists and Vietnamese communities abroad to help the latter, particular the younger generations, understand more about the homeland. Mme Bui Kim Hai, president of the Belgium-Vietnam Co-operation and Development Association, said: "The Ninth CPV Congress is of great significance as it maps out the ways for the country to advance along the renovation path initiated by the Communist Party of Vietnam." She added that Vietnamese nationals residing abroad always look toward to the Fatherland and her organisation has been carrying out activities to serve as a bridge between the Vietnamese community in Belgium and the people at home. Australian Broadcasting Corp (ABC) on April 21 commented that Vietnam has been exerting efforts on resolving two major issues: accelerating economic reform and taking preventive measures against political instability. The Estrella Electronic (Electronic Star) of Spain commented that the Ninth CPV Congress is the most important one since 1986 when Vietnam launched the process of national renovation, adding the Congress approved the Strategy for Socio-Economic Development for 2001-2010 with the goals of eliminating hunger and building Vietnam into an industrialised nation. (VNA) **** Vietnamese communities abroad - a valuable resource of the country The Vietnamese communities abroad serve as a valuable human resource of the country, Nguyen Dinh Bin said in his report to the Ninth National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, which closed in Hanoi on April 22. Mr Bin, a delegate from the Party organisation of the sector of central foreign affairs agencies, affirmed the Overseas Vietnamese communities are young but dynamic and developed. They are a precious internal strength of the country in terms of capital sources and human resource, particularly their intellect. He went on to say that hundreds of thousands of foreign-trained intellectuals, scientists, engineers, economics and business people have been working in developed nations to equip themselves with knowledge and advanced experience. They, including a new generation of foreigners of Vietnamese origin, have become stronger and been gradually replacing older generations. The younger generations have a more objective view on the country's situation and will become potential partners of Vietnam in the near future. In order to make a major and fundamental change in mobilising the Vietnamese communities abroad, fully tap potential and make use of advantages of the communities in service of national industrialisation and modernisation, the official proposed the followings: - Party committees at all levels should widely disseminate information on the Party's basic viewpoint on mobilising overseas Vietnamese to help Party officials and members and ordinary people clearly understand the political significance of the issue; - Future policies related to the Vietnamese communities abroad should reflect the Party's stance of considering the communities an integral part and a source of strength of the Vietnamese nation. It is necessary to eliminate all forms of discrimination on benefits to people at home and Overseas Vietnamese, gradually create favourable conditions for the Vietnamese communities abroad to exercise their obligations to the country. Policies should be attractive enough to encourage overseas communities to return to do business in their homeland, thus contributing to implementing of the national great unity policy of closing the past and looking toward a bright future; and - To conduct a closer co-ordination among relevant ministries and agencies, both at the central and local levels, pertinent offices at home and abroad, state management agencies and the Vietnam Fatherland Front and other mass organisations to effectively carry out promulgated policies on the Vietnamese communities abroad. Mr Bin told the Congress that there are more than 2.5 million Vietnamese people living in all parts of the world, mostly in western countries while a smaller group lives in Eastern Europe and Vietnam's neighbouring countries. He noted that, despite many upheavals in the world, the Vietnamese communities abroad have continued to develop, gradually settled down in and adapted themselves in their residing countries. At the same time, they maintain fine cultural identity and patriotism of the nation. (VNA) **** Israeli ambassador wishes better ties with VietnamIsrael has great potential to co-operate with Vietnam, Israeli Ambassador to Vietnam Walid Mansour told the Club for International Economic and Cultural Exchange in Hanoi on April 20. He cited telecommunications, agriculture, health care and education as the most promising areas and stressed that the most important co-operative ties between the two countries are that in education and training. Nearly 240 Vietnamese students are studying in Israel and more than 800 Vietnamese cadres have attended on-the-spot training courses lectured by Israeli experts and professors. Two projects on building a computerised education system and a European-standard coffee processing system are to be built in Vietnam by members of the Israeli Producers' Association. In addition, an irrigation model project built with the assistance of Israel has been commissioned in Hanoi and is expected to be expanded to other localities in Vietnam. Israel is working with the Trade Ministry of Vietnam to create favourable conditions for the development of bilateral trade relations because Vietnam's exports to Israel reduced 6.2% in 2000 and Israel's exports to Vietnam, 47.5%. Vietnam's opening of a trade representative office in Israel and the signing of a trade agreement between the two countries were solutions to the declining trend, stressed the Ambassador. Vietnam received 1,080 Israeli visitors last year and expects to have the figure rising to between 5,000 and 7,000 this year. (VNA) _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
