VNA Leaders congratulate General Vo Nguyen Giap� on 90th birthday General Vo Nguyen Giap, one of the 20th century's great military strategists, is celebrating his 90th birthday on August 25. He was called on by General Secretary Nong Duc Manh of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee on the afternoon of August 24. Mr Manh congratulated the General as he enters the tenth decade of his life in good health and wished him further contributions to the Party's revolutionary cause: the achievement of President Ho Chi Minh's dream of "a wealthy people, a strong country, and an equitable, democratic, and civilised society." The general thanked the well-wishers, who also included Phan Dien, Politburo member and secretary of the Party Central Committee; Tran Dinh Hoan, Politburo member and secretary of the Party Central Committee, chairman of the Commission for Organisation and Personnel and Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Institute for Politics; Ngo Van Du, member of the Party Central Committee and head of the Party Central Committee's office. General Giap expressed his joy at having the opportunity to welcome General Secretary Manh andother Party officials, and wished them success in their efforts to lead the country on the path of renovation towards socialism. * On the same day, Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, Deputy Prime Ministers Nguyen Manh Cam and Pham Gia Khiem called on the general on his 90th birthday. Mr Khai praised General Giap's great merit in the Vietnamese Party and people's revolutionary cause, stressing that the government has never forgotten his contributions and always wishes him the best. * Pham The Duyet, president of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VNFF) Central Committee's Presidium and other members of the VNFF Presidium, called on General Giap on August 23 and wished him good health and longevity to make further contributions to the great unity of the nation. * A delegation of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence led by Minister Senior Lieutenant General Pham Van Tra, visited General Giap on the same afternoon. * The Vietnam War Veterans' Association also sent a delegation led by its president, Senior Lieutenant General Tran Van Quang, to call on General Giap on his birthday. General Quang affirmed that General Giap would forever be a bright example for generations of war veterans to follow. * Military attaches of 26 foreign embassies in Hanoi, headed by Brigadier General Myo Tin, Naval and Air Attache of the Myanmar Embassy, paid a visit to General Giap. * The general's native province of Quang Binh, central Vietnam, besides sending a delegation to Hanoi to congratulate the great warrior on his 90th birthday, held many activities to celebate the day in the province. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ President visits SK Telecom, LG in RoK President Tran Duc Luong, his wife, and entourage on August 24, made visits to two of the RoK's leading communications companies: SK Telecom, and LG Electronics and Telecommunications. The visiting president and his party were welcomed by SK Telecom president Sun Kil-Dong, who briefed the guests about the activities of his company since it joined the Sunkyong conglomerate and became SK Telecom. SK Telecom has signed a contract with the Saigon Post and Telecommunications service company to supply CDMA mobile telephone services in Vietnam. President Luong spoke highly of the advanced technology and capacity of SK Telecom, which has made an important contribution to the RoK's efforts to recover its economy in recent years. Mr Luong said he believed that SK Telecom, through activities in Vietnam, will help its Vietnamese partners to further develop for mutual benefit, thus contributing to the friendship and comprehensive co-operation between the two countries in the new century. Then, President Luong went to LG Electronics and Telecommunications, which has been investing in Vietnam since the early 1990s with a host of investment projects capitalised at some US $52 million. LG Electronics and Telecommunications has made an active contribution to modernising Vietnam's post and telecommunications system by providing digital telephone switchboards for Vietnam's 21 provinces and cities over the past ten years. Mr Luong lauded LG's effective operations in Vietnam and said "Like the RoK, Vietnam has attached special importance to information technology (IT) development as it is believed to make a great contribution to the country's national industrialisation and modernisation as well as economic development". The president said he hoped that LG Electronics and Telecommunications would continue to help its Vietnamese partners in human resource training and technical and technological transfer. On the same morning, President Luong visited Vietnam's embassy in Seoul and met with the family of Ly Xuong Can, the 32nd descendant of Vietnam's Ly dynasty. In the afternoon, President Tran Duc Luong and his entourage left Seoul for their tours of Kimhae and Kyongju cities and Kyongsan-buk province, home of a group of industrial and agricultural establishments, major ports, and cultural-historical sites, which have contributed to the RoK's economic development. Speaking on this occasion, Mr Luong said he appreciated the help given by local authorities, businesses, and people to Vietnamese industrial trainees, and said he believed that these localities would continue promoting their co-operation with Vietnam to meet the desire of the people of the two countries. Vietnamese, RoK foreign ministers hold talks Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy Nien held talks with Han Seung-Soo, minister for foreign affairs and trade in Seoul on the morning of August 24, on the occasion of President Tran Duc Luong's visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK). Foreign Ministers Nguyen Dy Nien and Han Seung-Soo noted with satisfaction this new and important step in the development of relations between the two countries, affirming that the signing of the Vietnam-RoK joint communique on "comprehensive partnership in the 21st century" is a significant event as it paves the way for closer relations between the two countries. The two reiterated their belief that closer co-operation between the two countries has the potential to yield great benefits for both Vietnam and the RoK and would be of considerable benefit to the Asian region as well. The two sides discussed measures to accelerate co-operation in politics, economics, science, technology, commerce, investment, culture, education, labour, and tourism. The two foreign ministers agreed to continue exchanging information, experiences, and closely co-ordinating at international and regional forums. Regarding the Korean peninsula, Foreign Mininster Nien affirmed that Vietnam would do its utmost to support the Korean people's aspiration for peace, stability and co-operation. Mr Nien invited Minister Han Seung-Soo to visit Vietnam next year. The latter accepted the invitation with pleasure. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Palestinian president visits Vietnam The president of Palestine, Yasser Arafat paid a one-day working visit to Vietnam on August 24. During a meeting with Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, Mr Arafat, who is also president of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) and the Palestinian National Authority, expressed his happiness at visiting Vietnam again at a time when the Vietnamese people were realising the resolution of the recently held Ninth National Party Congress. He informed the Vietnamese leader about current situation in the Middle East, particularly the attacks with heavy weapons by Israel, causing great losses in human lives and property to the Palestinian people. This, he said, was threatening the peace process in the Middle East. Prime Minister Khai reaffirmed the firm stance of the Party, State and people of Vietnam as to support the just struggle of the Palestinian people under the leadership of the PLO in a bid to gain their rights, including the right to establish an independent Palestinian State. He also assured his guest of his support to every effort to reach a just and sustainable solution for the conflict on the basis of Resolution 242 and 339 of the United Nations Security Council and the Regulation 'Land for Peace.' Both leaders expressed their satisfaction at the fine development of the traditional friendship and solidarity between Vietnam and Palestine, further hoping that the relations would be further strengthened in the interests of the two peoples, for peace and stability in the region and the world. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ August Revolution, National Day marked abroad The Laos-Vietnam Friendship Association, provincial Party Committee and administration of Bolikhamsay province, Laos held a meeting on August 22 to celebrate the 56th anniversary of the August Revolution (August 19) and the upcoming National Day (September 2). Vietnamese ambassador to Laos, Huynh Anh Dung and staff of the Embassy and Vietnamese agencies in Vientiane attended the meeting. The Vietnamese ambassador to Russia on August 23 held a press conference on the occasion. Attending the meeting were representatives of the Foreign Ministry, Russia-Vietnam Friendship Association, Culture and Science Centre of Russia and local mass media agencies. While in Sydney, Australia, the Australian Institute for Strategic Research and Defence, on August 22, held talks and a film show 'Vietnam Enters the 21st Century' with the participation of the director and more than 100 officials of the institute. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Danish counsellor presented with Friendship Medal Minister and director of the Vietnam Committee for Child Protection and Care Tran Thi Thanh Thanh, presented the Friendship Medal of the State to the counsellor of the Embassy of Denmark to Vietnam, Torben Bellers, for his contribution to the promotion of friendship and multi-faceted co-operation between Vietnam and Denmark. The total aid from Denmark to Vietnam through the embassy reached US $181 million, of which US $1.6 million was reserved for co-operation, development, care, protection and education of children. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Flood causes damage in Central Highlands Downpours together with floodwater rushing down from upstream have caused flooding in Ea Sup district in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak over the past ten days. The rainfall was measured at 115 millimetres during the night of August 22. According to an initial statistics of the district's Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control, as of August 23, 971 houses and 1,450 hectares of rice were inundated. The local people had to use canoes and boats for transport. This is the biggest flood to hit the district over the past three years, and also the third consecutive flood for the past ten days in a remote border district. Meanwhile, two people were reported dead due to floodwater in Cat Tien district of Lam Dong Central Highlands province. The floodwater has been rising rapidly over the past four days. Water was one to 1.5 metres deep in Phu My and Gia Vien commune. In some places, houses were flooded to their roofs. The water is predicted to continue to swell. At present, the local administration is mobilising _________________________________________________ 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] __________________________________________________
