VNA President works with HCM City leaders President Tran Duc Luong had a working session on July 31 with leaders of Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, People's Council, People's Committee and other departments, sectors and districts on the issues of socio-economic development and administrative reforms within the implementation of the Party's resolutions. The city's leaders including Nguyen Minh Triet, Politburo member and secretary of Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee; Le Thanh Hai, member of Party Central Committee and chairman of the People's Committee, and heads of some districts, reported to President Tran Duc Luong on the socio-economic situation of the city in the first six months, key measures to successfully implement socio-economic targets in 2001 and initial results of administrative reforms in a number of districts. The city still has many unfavourable factors that could affect its economic growth as compared to the same period last year. This is despite the increase of GDP of 9.3%; industrial production value, by 16.4% and export turnover, up 14%. The sectors having low growth include consumer price index (0.98%), services (6.6%) and sold goods (2.5%). This makes the target of 10% GDP growth rate a challenge for the city. In addition, progress in the city�s administrative reforms has made in experimental places of District 1 and District 5 and Cu Chi district while implementing a �one stop shop� model. Addressing the session, President Tran Duc Luong praised the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee and people for their dynamism and flexibility in implementation of the Party and State�s policies. He discussed measures to overcome the difficulties with the city�s officials, boosting industrial production and promoting trade, investment and exports. The city should allocate more investment capital in trade promotion in the six remaining months and organise regular meetings with business people to overcome difficulties of businesses said the president. Besides, capital should be prioritised for agricultural production, making contributions to improving living standards and production of the city�s rural areas in the next few years. The president also asked the city to pay more attention to social and cultural development. The city should effectively deal with the problems of drugs, prostitution and crime and implement projects on job creation, environmental protection and public transport in the city. The president laid emphasis on the human factor in implementation of administrative reforms. He said he hoped and believed that the Party Committees and administration at all levels of the city would train and foster State cadres to meet the increasing requirements of assigned tasks. The same day, President Tran Duc Luong called at the Ba Son Union Enterprise and the Saigon Military Port. President Tran Duc Luong also visited the Quang Trung Software Park during his stay in Ho Chi Minh City. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Prime minister thanks IMF for support Prime Minister Phan Van Khai expressed thanks to IMF for its contributions to Vietnam. This was at the reception given to Dennis de Tray, resident representative of the IMF, who paid him a farewell visit before ending his term of office in Vietnam, in Hanoi on July 31. Mr Khai informed Dennis de Tray of Vietnam's process of economic reform, re-arrangement of State-run enterprises while encouraging the development of medium and small-sized enterprises and re-organisation of the banking system to accelerate economic development and make it competitive in the region and the world. The Vietnamese government has been carrying out many measures for economic restructuring and strictly implementing economic reform for integration and development, Prime Minister Khai said. He expressed his hope that Vietnam would receive financial assistance from the IMF with a view to conducting programmes of hunger eradication, poverty alleviation, economic reform, and State-run enterprises re-arrangement. Mr de Tray expressed his gratitude to Mr Khai and spoke highly of Vietnam's co-operation with the IMF in recent years. He said he believed that the programmes signed by the IMF and Vietnam would be effectively carried out. Mr de Tray also said he hoped Vietnam would continue with its economic reform and that the government would promptly overcome difficulties while implementing the renovation process. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Government discusses plan of action Vietnam's government held its regular session on July 30-31 to further discuss its plan of action to realise the resolution passed by the recent Ninth National Party Congress, with a focus on socio-economic development. Addressing the cabinet, Prime Minister Phan Van Khai asked the government's Office to work with the Planning and Investment Ministry and other relevant ministries and agencies for early completion of the plan of action, after clarifying key issues and bold measures to increase the executive and managerial role of the government while implementing the Party's resolution. The government also discussed a project on managerial rule and development of Ho Chi Minh Citypresented by the Municipal People's Committee chairman, Le Thanh Hai. The project was prepared early this year with the participation of various ministries and agencies. Under the prime minister's decision, the government will issue a document to accelerate the implementation of power decentralisation to Ho Chi Minh City in order to help it to be more active and dynamic in the course of development. The cabinet spent much time discussing a draft strategy for education and training development between now and 2010 in favour of national industrialisation and modernisatrion. Mr Khai urged the Education and Training Ministry to make public the draft for all-people debates in order to make Vietnam's strategy for education and training development equal to those of regional countries. The government also exchanged views on the issue of the government's decree to develop small and medium-sized businesses in order to boost the growth of the private sector. Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung asked the Planning and Investment Ministry to finalise the draft decree and submit it to the government for consideration in the near future. Reviewing Vietnam's socio-economic development in July as well as in the first seven months of the year, Mr� Dung said that import-export operations are showing signs of a slowdown while the disbursement of capital for infrastructure projects is slow. He urged all ministries and agencies to take bold measures to accelerate the implementation of the socio-economic plans set for the remaining six months and for the whole year of 2001. "Active preparations should be made to start the deployment of projects to build infrastrutural facilities as well as nitrogenous fertiliser and paper pulp production," the deputy prime minister stressed. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Fine development of Vietnam-Thailand ties welcomed NA Chairman Nguyen Van An meets Mr Kraisak Choonhavan. National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Van An noted with satisfaction the fine development of the relations between Vietnam and Thailand over the recent past. So said Mr� An while receiving on July 31, a visiting delegation of the Thai Senate, led by Kraisak Choonhavan, chairman of its Committee for External Relations. The Thai delegation's visit will contribute to boosting the friendship and co-operation between the two countries, Mr An said. He welcomed the results of the working session between the two national assemblies' Committees for External Relations and said he hoped that the relations between the two legislative bodies would be further promoted, thus contributing to raising mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples and accelerating co-operation for peace, stability, and development. Also on this occasion, the chairman expressed his wish that members of the Thai delegation, in their role and position would assist and create favourable conditions for Vietnamese residents living in Thailand. Kraisak Choonhavan expressed his admiration for Vietnam's achievements in the renovation process. He briefed Mr An of the results of the visit and agreed to strengthen the relations between the two national assemblies as well as the friendship between the two peoples in the coming period. * Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Manh Cam received Mr Choonhavan on July 31. Mr Choonhavan said he was impressed with Vietnam's renovation in recent years. He also spoke highly of Vietnam's role as Chairman of the ASEAN Standing Committee and ASEAN Regional Forum over the past year, particularly its successful organisation of the recent ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Hanoi. He said he hoped that the relations between the two national assemblies and the two countries, would be further developed. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cuban president meets Vietnam's defence minister Cuban President Fidel Castro on July 30 received Defence Minister Pham Van Tra, who is leading a Vietnamese military delegation on an official visit to Cuba at the invitation of General Raul Castro, second secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee and minister of the armed forces. President Castro welcomed the Cuba visit by Vietnam's high-level military delegation, which takes place at the time when Cuba celebrates the 48th anniversary of the offensive on Moncada barracks. He briefed the guests on the Cuban people's current ideological struggle, particularly the meetings involving a large number of people of all strata on the island. The Cuban president spoke highly of the achievements recorded by the Vietnamese people in economic development and national defence. Senior Lieutenant General Tra conveyed the best regards from Party General Secretary Nong DucManh, State President Tran Duc Luong and Prime Minister Phan Van Khai to President Castro. He wished the Cuban people new and greater successes in national construction and defence. Mr Tra spoke of the Vietnamese people's economic achievements in recent years as well as their determination to make the resolution passed by the Ninth Party Congress a success in order to build Vietnam into a strong country with a prosperous people and an equitable, democratic and civilised society. He also expressed his admiration for the Cuban people's firm revolutionary spirit and their important achievements in economic recovery. The delegation held talks with a delegation of the Cuban Ministry of the Armed Forces, led by General Raul Castro, during which both delegations informed each other of their respective countries' political, economic and military situation. They also discussed measures to increase the friendship and co-operation between the two armies. They also visited some military units and historical and cultural sites in Cuba. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thai crew members repatriated An 18-member crew aboard the ship Tasco-Delta of Thailand, that caught fire on July 23 off Vietnam's southern shore, were returned to the Thai side at a ceremony held in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province on July 31, in the presence of the Thai deputy consul-general, Udomsak Sritangor. The ship Tasco-Delta was carrying more than 2,530 tonnes of asphalt when it caught fire at about 9pm on July 23, 35 nautical miles west of Vietsovpetro's Rong (Dragon) oil field off Ba Ria-Vung Tau province. The freighter was on its way to China from Rayoung port of Thailand. All the crew members were rescued by Vietnam's fishing trawler Vinh Phu-42. Receiving SOS signals sent out by the ship in distress, sailors of An Phong oil ship operating near the burning ship arrived in time to put out the fire and carry out a successful rescue operation, which ended early in the morning of July 24. Except the captain and the chef, who both suffered critical burns and were hospitalised at the Le Loi hospital in the province, all other crew members were reported to be in good health. (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] __________________________________________________
