VNA Laos wishes to boost co-operation with Vietnam The Lao Party, State, Front for National Construction, and people will do their best to strengthen the special friendship, solidarity and comprehensive co-operation between Laos and Vietnam in the spirit of the recent joint statement of the two countries. This was declared by Lao visitor, Sisavath Keobounphanh, Politburo member of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and President of the Lao Front for National Construction, who is on a week-long visit to Vietnam from August 6. He was received in Hanoi on August 8, by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nong Duc Manh. Mr Sisavath conveyed the best regards from Khamtay Siphandon, LPRP Chairman and Lao President, and other Lao Party and State leaders to General Secretary Manh. Party General Secretary Manh welcomed the Lao delegation's visit, considering it as a vivid manifestation of the two Parties, Fronts, and peoples' determination to implement agreements signed by the two countries' leaders to further strengthen the special friendship, solidarity and comprehensive co-operation between Vietnam and Laos in the coming years. Mr Manh praised the great achievements gained by the Party, State, and the Front for National Construction of Laos in national construction and defence, thus improving living conditions for the Lao people and raising the country's prestige in the international arena. The same day, President Tran Duc Luong received Mr Sisavath Keobounphanh. The Vietnamese president said he appreciated the Front's role in the national construction and defence of Laos as it helps bring into full play people's right to mastery. For his part, Mr Sisavath spoke of his organisation's co-operative plan with the Vietnam Fatherland Front, which will accelerate the exchange of experiences and co-ordination to help complete each country's political tasks. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ President works with Hanoi authorities President Tran Duc Luong views models of important transport points in Hanoi. President Tran Duc Luong urged Hanoi to make efforts to control traffic jams and ensure traffic safety as well as develop its five-year plan on housing development. He told Hanoi leading officials on August 8 that Hanoi's GDP growth rate of 9.6% in the first six months of this year was an encouraging achievement. Hanoi obtained a 7.9% increase in industrial production value, a rise of 10.1% in commodity circulation and services, and a 15.3% growth in revenue collection in the past seven months. However, the city's economic growth in the reviewed period was slow while urban management faced difficulties and social evils continue to be a developing problem. Moreover, the city did not take the necessary measures for effective urban management and the improvement of traffic safety. Hanoi's leading officials made a number of recommendations to the president, requesting changes in mechanism and policy with a view to creating favourable conditions for the city to boost socio-economic development. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thai special envoy ends visit Former prime minister and Thai government special envoy, Anand Panyarachun, concluded a four-day official visit to Vietnam on August 8. He attended the celebrations of the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Thailand as a guest of Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Manh Cam. He also paid a courtesy visit to President Tran Duc Luong, met Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Manh Cam, had a working session with the Planning and Investment Ministry, and opened a photo exhibition on Thailand-Vietnam relations. He also visited Ha Long bay and a number of economic and educational establishments in Hanoi. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Algerian president pledges to boost ties with Vietnam Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has reaffirmed his country's wish to further boost traditional friendship and co-operation with Vietnam. The Algerian leader was speaking to newly-accredited Vietnamese ambassador to Algeria, Bui Tien Hue, while receiving his credentials in Algiers on August 7. President Bouteflika recalled his fine memories of the visit to Algeria by Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong in late 1999, and the visit to Vietnam by himself in October last year. Ambassador Hue conveyed best regards from President Luong and other Party and government leaders of Vietnam to the host. He expressed his belief that by exercising the national reconciliation policy, initiated by the president and the people of Algeria will overcome current difficulties and challenges. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Vietnam to develop relations with Argentina Vietnam wishes to boost relations with Latin American countries in general and Argentina in particular, affirmed Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Dinh Bin. Mr Bin was in Buenos Aires on August 6 and 7 for an official visit to Argentina at the invitation of the Argentinian Foreign Ministry. Talking with First Deputy Foreign Minister Horacio Chighizola and Deputy Secretary of State Horacio Basabe, Mr Bin briefed them of Vietnam's socio-economic development, and its foreign policies. Mr Chighizola appreciated Vietnam's important renovation achievements and praised its role in organising the recent ASEAN Ministerial Meeting and the ASEAN Regional Forum. He and Mr Bin exchanged views on international issues of common concern and discussed measures to boost economic and commercial relations between the two countries. While in Argentina, Mr Bin was received by the president of the ruling Civic Radical Union and former Argentinian president, Raul Alfonsin. The host praised the Vietnamese people's achievements in national construction and defence under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam. Mr Bin had a working session with the chairperson of the Argentinian Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Production, Maria Tula, and Argentine businessmen. He also met with officials of the Argentina-Vietnam Culture Institute. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 100 million visits to Nhan Dan newspaper on the Web The Vietnam Data Communications (VDC) company said at least 100 million have clicked on to the website of Nhan Dan newspaper on the Internet as of August 8, 2001. This is the total number since the newspaper launched its web publication on June 21, 1998. VDC, one of the country�s first few Internet service providers and only Internet access provider, provides web-hosting service to Nhan Dan newspaper with a counter to check the number of visits to the website. According to VDC figures, there were about 168,000 visits to the website of the newspaper each publication day in July, doubling the average figure for July last year. The Vietnamese language section drew some 142,000 visits per day while the English language one had about 26,000 visits recorded. The address of Nhan Dan newspaper on the web remains unchanged, at http://www.nhandan.org.vn/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Drought hits Kien Giang province The southern province of Kien Giang is suffering a serious drought which has badly affected about 15,000 hectares of rice in the three districts of An Bien, An Minh and Vinh Thuan within Upper U Minh region. Pumps of various kinds have been used to supply water to cultivated land but of no avail because most of the irrigation canals are mixed with alum and salt. Productivity is projected to be reduced by 10-15%. It is forecast that the drought will continue to spread in the province in the first half of this month. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Congress of Vietnam Red Cross Society opens Four hundred delegates representing five million members of the Vietnam Red Cross Society (VRCS) and 2.5 million vanguard Red Cross young people from all social strata, nationalities and religions gathered in Ba Dinh Hall, Hanoi on August 9 to attend the seventh national congress of the VRCS. During the congress, delegates will review the society's activities of the sixth term (1995-2001) and discuss orientation for humanitarian activities in the coming time, thus contributing to the social stability and the national renovation. A new VRCS Central Committee for the 2001-2006 period will also be elected. As a social organisation of the people in charge of humanitarian work, the society was founded and directed by late President Ho Chi Minh as an honorary president since 1946. _________________________________________________ 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] __________________________________________________
