VNA Vietnam wishes to strengthen ties with Japan: Party leader Communist Party of Vietnam General Secretary Nong Duc Manh on August 21, reiterated that Vietnam has always attached importance to promoting a reliable, durable and stable partnership with Japan. The Party leader said he believed that the friendly and co-operative ties between Vietnam and Japan will be further developed in the years to come. Mr Manh also thanked the Japanese government and people for their effective co-operation with and support for Vietnam in its renovation process over the past years. Mr Manh was speaking at a reception for Mr Taku Yamasaki, secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and president of the Japan-Vietnam Parliamentarians Friendship League, who is leading a delegation of Japanese parliamentarians and LDP members now on a visit to Vietnam. The Party general secretary asked Mr Taku Yamasaki to convey his best regards to Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who is also president of the LDP, and other Japanese leaders. Mr Taku Yamasaki expressed his pleasure at the achievements the Vietnamese people have made in the renovation process and the development of the friendship and co-operation between Japan and Vietnam. He affirmed that Japan attaches great importance to developing its relations with Vietnam and supports the country's renovation policy. He also said that the LDP wishes to strengthen ties with the Communist Party of Vietnam so as to boost co-operation between the two countries. (VNA) **** President on RoK visit State President Tran Duc Luong and his wife left Hanoi for an official visit to the Republic of Korea as guests of President Kim Dae-Jung on August 22. This is the first visit by a Vietnamese State President to the Republic of Korea since the two countries established diplomatic relations in December 1992. The president is accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Cong Tan; Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy Nien; Fisheries Minister Ta Quang Ngoc; Hanoi Mayor Hoang Van Nghien; Deputy Foreign Minister Le Cong Phung; Deputy Presidential Office Director Nguyen Van Bich; Deputy Planning and Investment Minister Vo Hong Phuc; Deputy Trade Minister Mai Van Dau; Deputy Industry Minister Nguyen Xuan Chuan; Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Environment Hoang Van Huay; Deputy Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat; Deputy Minister for Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Luong Trao; General Director of Radio Voice of Vietnam Tran Mai Hanh; and Vietnamese Ambassador to the RoK Duong Chinh Thuc. **** Indonesian President arrives in Hanoi Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri arrived in Hanoi this morning, August 22, for an official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of President Tran Duc Luong. President Megawati Sukarnoputri and her entourage were welcomed at a State ceremony by President Tran Duc Luong, his wife, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Cong Tan, Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy Nien, Trade Minister Vu Khoan, Chairman of the President Office Nguyen Canh Dinh, Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee Hoang Van Nghien, and other senior officials. After the welcoming ceremony, President Tran Duc Luong received President Megawati Sukarnoputri at the Presidential Palace. The Indonesian president is accompanied by her husband Taufik Kiemas, Foreign Minister Dr Hassan Wirajuda, Minister and General Secretary of the Cabinet Bambang Kesowo and Ambassador to Vietnam Aiyub Mohsin. The guests also include Parliamentarians Issak Latuconsina and Natercia Osorio Soares, Foreign Ministry's ASEAN Department General Director Abdurachman Mattalitti, Foreign Ministry's Protocol and Consul Department General Director Rachmat Ranudiwijaya, President's Secretary in charge of national defence Senior Lieutenant General Hassanudin, Deputy Political Assistant to the vice president Wahyudi Ruwiyanto, and Acting Director of the Foreign Ministry's Asian-Pacific Department I Gde Djelantik. (VNA) **** Hopes for more support from IFC Vice President Nguyen Thi Binh said that the Vietnamese Party, State and people highly valued the International Finance Corporation (IFC)'s co-operation with Vietnam. Vice President Binh said she wished that the IFC would make further contributions to developing the private economic sector and helping medium and small-scale enterprises become more competitive in the region and the world. She was speaking at a reception for the vice president of the IFC, Assaad J Jabre on the afternoon of August 21, who is on a working visit to Vietnam. She expressed thanks to the IFC for having assisted Vietnam over the past period and spoke of the socio-economic development in Vietnam after ten years' implementation of renovation policy. She stressed that Vietnam needs support from international organisations, including the IFC, in such areas as health care, education, and child care . Mr Jabre expressed his joy at visiting Vietnam and his gratitude to Vice President Binh for receiving him. Mr Jabre and Ms Binh discussed Vietnam's current investment environment and the progress made by those areas of the country's economy that have received IFC investment, in particular, small and medium scale enterprises. The IFC will invest in the private economic sector as well as the socialisation of health care and education, Mr Jabre told Ms Binh. (VNA ) **** Young people to join Ship for South East Asian programme A delegation of 29 Vietnamese youths will participate in a sea voyage of the South East Asian Youth Programme which will take place from September 3 to October 24. The delegation attended a training course in Hanoi on the morning of August 21, administered by the Centre for International Youth Co-operation Development under the Youth Union Central Committee. It will last until September 2. The South East Asian Youth Ship is a programme of exchange among young people of Japan and ASEAN countries. It was initiated in 1974 by South East Asian countries and Japan as a means of promoting friendship, solidarity, and mutual understanding among the youth of the participating countries. Vietnam became an official member of the programme in 1996. The programme aims to expand the world vision of these young people and improve their ability to understand, integrate into, and co-operate with the international community. (VNA) **** August Revolution, National Day marked in Germany The Vietnamese People's Association and the Vietnamese community's football club in Leipzig, Germany on August 19 held a sports festival to celebrate the 56th anniversary of the August Revolution (August 19) and National Day (September 2). At the opening ceremony of the festival, the Vietnamese Embassy's charge d'affairs ad interim to Germany, Tran Ngoc Quyen, praised the Vietnamese community in Leipzig city for their sentiment toward the homeland and their efforts to strengthen unity among the community. The festival has been held since 1998 with the participation of many football clubs of Vietnamese people in Germany. This year's sports festival attracted the participation of ten football teams from German cities. **** Torrential rains deluge Dak Lak, Dong Nai Unabated downpours which lashed Dak Lak Central Highlands province last week inundated districts of Lac, Crong No, Crong Bong, Ea Sup and Crong Ana and thousands of hectares of rice and maize crops. The Flood and Storm Control Steering Committee of Crong Bong district deployed forces to work round the clock to protect the dyke and dam system and rescue people when floods come. Ten houses were submerged and 300 metres of inter-communal roads were damaged by the heavy rains in Ea Sup district. Losses were put at about VND 600 million. The local authorities evacuated people in flooded area to safer places and helped the locals harvest ripe rice. Torrential rains, which measured at 200-300 millimetres, deluged several communes of districts of Tan Phu, Dinh Quan and Vinh Cuu of Dong Nai southern province on August 21. More than 900 houses and 1,800 hectares of crops were submerged. _________________________________________________ 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] __________________________________________________
