VNA President works with senior military officers State President Tran Duc Luong discussed military tasks for the remaining months of the year in a regular working session with the Defence Ministry's leaders in Hanoi on August 3. Lieutenant General Phung Quang Thanh, deputy defence minister and chief of the general staff of the Vietnam People's Army (VPA), briefed the president about the implementation of military tasks in the first half of this year as well as the deployment of major tasks for the second half. President Luong instructed the VPA to implement some important tasks in the near future. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ PM visits Long An province PM Phan Van Khai with leaders of Long An province. Prime Minister Phan Van Khai has asked the authorities of southern Long An province to seek rational structures for further economic development, saying "the local economy can be strongly developed, provided that it receives rapid structural changes." Mr Khai is making a visit to Long An on the first leg of his southwestern tour to discuss bold measures to promote socio-economic development in 2001 and the following years with provincial leaders. He said that Long An should turn all its socio-economic development potential into projects and plans of action, considering it part of the local Party Committee's efforts to translate into reality the Ninth Party Congress's Resolution. He also called for greater efforts to change agricultural structures, with a reduction of rice cultivation areas. He added that the local authorities had to find out what plants and animals of commercial value were most suited to their area's conditions. Outlets should be sought before deciding to grow new plants and develop livestock breeding, the prime minister said, adding that agricultural production should be linked with the processing industry in a bid to raise the efficiency of agricultural production. He recommended that the province grow cajeput, develop dairy cows and pay more attention to selecting best plant and animal strains for agricultural production and farm produce processing. Long An's agricultural development advanced a step forward in the first half of the year, achieving a total food output of 1.55 million tonnes this year. However, its industrial production registered a lower growth rate than last year, with a total value of VND 1,586 billion in the first seven months, or 54% of the yearly plan. (VNA) BACK TO TOP ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Laos' co-operation in border management praised Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Manh Cam expressed his appreciation for Laos' co-operation with Vietnam on border management. Mr Cam received in Hanoi on August 3, a Lao delegation to the 11th annual meeting on the Vietnam-Laos border in Hanoi from August 1-6. The Lao delegation, headed by Phongsavat Buppha, deputy foreign minister and director of the Lao government's Border Committee, included representatives of the Lao government's relevant ministries and agencies, as well as representatives from those provinces bordering Vietnam. The meeting was a chance for the two countries to strengthen mutual understanding and assess the implementation of border management regulations, Mr Cam said. On the basis of the Vietnam-Laos solidarity, special friendship, and comprehensive co-operation, the border issue between the two countries will be solved to make the Vietnam-Laos border one of peace and stability, the deputy prime minister stressed. Phongsavat Buppha noted that the two countries should closely co-ordinate in order to better implement the border regulations signed between the two countries and to further strengthen the solidarity, special friendship and comprehensive co-operation. (VNA) BACK TO TOP ------------------------------------------------------------------------ RoK PM values Vietnam's renovation achievements Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Lee Han-Dong praised Vietnam's renovation achievements while receiving the Vietnamese defence minister, Senior Lieutenant General Pham Van Tra in Seoul on August 3. Mr Tra and his entourage have been in the RoK for an official friendship visit at the invitation of Defence Minister Kim Dong-Shin. Mr Lee welcomed the delegation's visit and praised the Vietnamese people's patriotism which had helped them win repeated struggles against foreign invaders. Minister Tra conveyed Prime Minister Phan Van Khai's best regards to Prime Minister Lee Han-Dong and thanked him for his reception. He briefed the RoK prime minister of the results of talks between the two high-ranking military delegations. He said he hoped that Prime Minister Lee, in his position, would make active contributions to developing the relations between Vietnam and the RoK. (VNA) BACK TO TOP ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Vietnam, Mexico to develop friendly ties Vietnam will continue its efforts to strengthen and expand comprehensive co-operation with Mexico, especially in economy and commerce, said Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Manh Cam. Mr Cam was talking to Ambassador Eugenio Anguiano Roch, special envoy of the Mexican government and representative of President Vicente Fox in Hanoi on August 3. Eugenio Anguiano Roch passed on President Vicente Fox's best regards to the Vietnamese leaders and expressed his government's wish to further develop multi-faceted relations with Vietnam. Earlier, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Van Nganh held talks with the Mexican government's special envoy, discussing measures to further boost bilateral relations in the years to come. (VNA) BACK TO TOP ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Prolonged rains cause floods in Hanoi Heavy rains fell in Hanoi during the night of August 2 and in the morning of the next day, leaving many parts of the city severely flooded. According to the Hydrometeorology Station, the rainfall measured 237 millimetres in inner city Hanoi city as of 12am on August 3. Relentless rain left more than 70 sites submerged under floodwaters which ranged from 50 centimetres to one metre deep in places. Floods caused traffic jams in many roads, affecting the local people's travelling. The Hanoi Drainage Company opened sluice gates to lower the water level in rivers, cannels and lakes. However, the drainage work still met difficulties due to large rainfall and the increasing water level in the Hong (Red) river. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Water level rises in northern rivers A downpour has hit the northern region since August 3 with an average rainfall in 24 hours in provinces of 30-50 millimetres, 50-70 millimetres in the north east and over 100 millimetres in Hai Duong northern city (190 millimetres), Hanoi (181 millimetres) and Son Dong in Bac Giang northern province (116 millimetres). Rains have been seen in northern central provinces with a rainfall of 20-40 millimetres. This helped end a spell of hot weather and drought. Light rains may continue in the northern provinces while rain on a large scale may fall in central and southern provinces in several days. Floodwater in the Thai Binh and Hong (Red) rivers is standing at a high level and continues to rise. The water levels in the Thai Binh river in Pha Lai reached 5.69 metres; in Cau river in Dap Cau, 5.94 metres; Thuong river in Phu Lang, 5.76 metres; Luc Nam river in Luc Nam, 5.71 metres, all around the third warning level and water level in Red river in Hanoi was measured at 10.57 metres, warning level two. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Outstanding disseminators� meeting held The first meeting of outstanding disseminators opened in Hanoi on August 2. The meeting, held by the Party�s Commission for Culture and Ideology, drew 300 delegates, including 174 outstanding disseminators representing nearly 100,000 disseminators nationwide. Among important guests present at the meeting were Nguyen Khoa Diem, Politburo member and member of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee (CPV CC)�s Secretariat and head of the Party�s Commission for Culture and Ideology; Hong Vinh, member of the CPV CC and deputy head of the Party�s Commission for Culture and Ideology; Nguyen Van Chi, member of the CPV CC and head of the Party�s Commission for Home Security and others. Mr Dao Duy Quat, deputy head of the Party�s Commission for Culture and Ideology, reviewed the four years of implementation of the Politburo�s Report 71 on �Strengthening the leadership and renovating spoken dissemination works' and National Outstanding Disseminators Contest in the 1999-2000 period. Over the past four years, disseminators have improved in terms of quality and quantity. So far, there have been 30-50 disseminators at provincial level; 20-30 at district level; and 1-2 at the grassroots level. Regarding the orientation of the work in the future, the meeting emphasised measures to renovate content and methods of dissemination work and bring into play the comprehensive strength of the force to realise the Ninth Party Congress�s resolution. The meeting also laid emphasis on fostering disseminators who are ethnic people to meet the requirements of spoken dissemination works in the Central Highlands, north western and south western regions. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Meeting of South Uprising soldiers held The board that has compiled a book on the history of the Nam Ky (South) Uprising held a meetingat the Reunification Hall in Ho Chi Minh City on August 2. Attending were more than 300 veteran soldiers from southern provinces who joined the uprising; Mr Nguyen Minh Triet, Politburo member and secretary of the City's Party Committee, former Party leaders living in the city and historians from universities and colleges in the city. Mr Tran Van Som, former member of the Party Central Committee, ex-soldier of the uprising and head of the compiling board, highlighted that the book has been completed after two years with the assistance of the central and municipal historical research offices and many people who joined the uprising. The book contains a lot of valuable historical material. The uprising is one of the significant landmarks of the struggle for national liberation under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Vietnam, Laos discuss border management The 11th annual meeting on the Vietnam-Laos border was opened in Hanoi on August 2. During the meeting, the two parties evaluated the implementation of the Agreement on Border Regulations between the two countries in 2000 and the Memorandum of Understanding of the previous meeting on the Vietnam - Laos border, which was signed in Laos in July 2000. They also discussed orientation for co-operation on border issues between the two countries in the time to come and the implementation of a project to set up a Vietnam-Laos border map. The two delegations are headed by Tran Cong Truc, head of the Vietnamese Government Border Committee and Phongsavat Buppha, deputy foreign minister and head of the Lao Government Border Committee. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hanoi Declaration on poverty reduction and environment Urban poverty is one of the biggest challenges to cities' development policy and poverty reduction should be carried out with environmental protection, says the Hanoi Declaration which was passed at the closing of a seminar in Hanoi from July 30 to August 2 . The declaration recommends that programmes on hunger eradication and poverty reduction need to be carried out together with others on socio-economic and infrastructural development. Co-operation among cities, particularly the north-south and south-south co-operation, is an effective tool to reach this target. The four-day seminar, jointly organised by the Hanoi People's Committee, the Regional Network of Local Authorities for the Management of Human Settlement (Citynet), and the Asian Urban Programme under the European Union, drew 60 representatives from 17 Asian-Pacific countries. High on the agenda were issues relating to safe water and waste management, environmental pollution, and the sustainable use of natural resources. Participants heard reports on waste management and poverty reduction in the Republic of Korea, solid waste management and public hygiene in Pakistan, the provision of health services to rural areas in Vietnam, and water pollution prevention in Thailand. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Vietnam asks for further co-operation from US in settling war issues Vietnam has urged the US to meet the Vietnamese people's humanitarian demand, particularly to co-operate in settling issues left by the war, including assistance to Agent Orange victims. So said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Phan Thuy Thanh, at a press briefing in Hanoi on August 2. Ms Thanh affirmed Vietnam's dialogue principles of mutual respect, respect for each other's independence and sovereignty, and non-interference in each other's internal affairs, thus enhancing mutual understanding and boosting the relationship between Vietnam and the United States. Pleasing some correspondents who wanted to know activities of US Assistant Secretary of State Lorn Craner in Vietnam, the spokeswoman said that Lorn Craner was currently on a three-day visit to Vietnam. His delegation met and had working sessions with the National Assembly's External Relations Committee; the Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs; and the government's Committee for Religious Affairs. The US delegation exchanged views with a delegation of Vietnam's Foreign Ministry led by the International Organisation Department's director, Dinh Thi Minh Huyen, on Vietnam's law building and issues of mutual concern. The US delegation praised Vietnam's efforts and achievements in socio-economic development and in building laws to ensure human rights for all Vietnamese people. The talks took place in a frank and constructive atmosphere, conducive to the further enhancement of mutual understanding, Ms Thanh said. While in Vietnam, the US delegation was received by Le Bang, assistant to the Vietnamese foreign minister. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Vietnam "deeply worried" about attacks on Palestine Vietnam deeply worries about Israel's recent military attacks on a number of Palestinian-controlled areas in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Phan Thuy Thanh on August 2. "These attacks," she stressed, "have seriously violated the Israel-Palestine cease-fire agreement signed on June 13 this year." The spokeswoman was answering correspondents' questions about Vietnam's reaction to the increasing violence in the Middle East. "We call for an immediate end to the violence and a return to the negotiating table to hammer out a fair and long-term solution to the Palestine-Israel conflict, for the benefit of both parties," Ms Thanh said in conclusion. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Floods threaten north Medium to heavy rains have been falling in some northern provinces over the past days with a total rainfall from July 31 to August 2 of 50-100 millimetres, making the water levels in rivers rise rapidly. The water level of the Hong (Red) river in Hanoi was measured at 9.98 metres on August 2, 0.48 metres above the first warning level; the Cau river in Dap Cau was 5.02 metres, 0.22 metres higher than the second warning level and the Thai Binh river in Pha Lai reached 4.92 metres, 0.42 metres higher than the second warning level. The water levels in these rivers are expected to continue rising. The water level of the Red river in Hanoi may reach 11 metres on August 4 morning, 0.5 metres below the third warning level. The Hoa Binh reservoir has opened its fifth and sixth discharge gates to cope with rising water level upstream after torrential rains in recent weeks. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Vietnamese youth to attend World Youth Festival A delegation of 130 Vietnamese young people will leave Hanoi on August 5 for the 15th World Youth and Students' Festival scheduled to be held in Algiers, the capital of Algeria, from August 8 to 16. The delegation will take part in all activities including symposiums, exchanges among regional clubs, seminars, singing and dancing performances, bilateral meetings with foreign delegations and exchange with people of Algeria. On the occasion, the Youth Union announced winners of a writing contest on the festival. The first prize went to Nguyen Thu Huong, student of the People's Security College and the first collective prize was awarded to the People's Security Secondary School No 1. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Vietnam, South Africa to boost economic co-operation President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, has affirmed the wish to promote friendship and co-operation in the fields of economics, trade, investment and tourism with Vietnam and determination to bring these ties to a new height. This was said at a reception given to the Vietnamese ambassador to South Africa, Nguyen Huu Dung, concerning his submission of credentials on July 27. Ambassador Nguyen Huu Dung expressed the hope of the Vietnamese Party, State and people to strengthen friendship and expand multi-faceted relations with the Republic of South Africa and the African National Congress (ANC) so as to meet the potentials and benefits of the two peoples. President Thabo Mbeki said he highly valued the role and position of Vietnam in the South East Asian region and the world. He expressed his admiration for the courageous struggle for national liberation in the past and achievements gained by Vietnam in the current renovation. _________________________________________________ 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] __________________________________________________
