VNA Party leader visits Kon Tum province Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh visited Kon Tum province on September 12-13 as part of his working tour of the Central Highlands. During his two-day trip, Mr Manh visited Po Ko commune of Dak To district and met with a number of people and families who have rendered great services to the nation's revolution as well as old villagers, commune chiefs, and religious dignitaries representing ethnic minority people of 68 villages and hamlets across the province. He also had working sessions with military division 10 (or Dak To Division) stationed in the Central Highlands and the provincial Party Committee. He paid a visit to former Kon Tum Jail which was built by the French colonialists in 1930-35. The Party leader called on the local people and army to make concerted efforts to ensure political stability in the Central Highlands which, he said, was one of Vietnam's most strategically important regions. He also asked local Party members and officials to set an example in their daily lives and production for the people to follow. Meeting with religious dignitaries and believers, Mr Manh expressed his hope that all local religious communities would promote their tradition of national unity in line with the Church's spirit of "living the Gospel amidst the nation for the people's happiness". "National unity must be constantly consolidated because it is crucial to the political stability and socio-economic development of the country," Mr Manh stressed as he talked with people of different strata in the province. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ PM urges entrepreneurs to meet yearly plan Prime Minister Phan Van Khai has called on Vietnamese entrepreneurs to do all they can to successfully carry out the 2001 national socio-economic development plan as well as to make the the Ninth National Party Congress resolution a success. Addressing a two-day meeting with 532 Vietnamese entrepreneurs from all economic sectors which ended in Hanoi on September 14, Prime Minister Khai said Vietnam should continue to renovate all economic structures, from agriculture, forestry, and fisheries to industry and services along the direction of industrialisation and modernisation. Special attention should be paid to developing small and medium-sized businesses. It was also necessary to develop, as much as possible, small and medium-sized enterprises to process farm, forest and aquatic products in the rural areas in tandem with the building of material-supply regions, Mr Khai told the participants. He pointed out that the country should be active in international and regional integration and in raising the efficiency of its international co-operation. All corporate sectors should boost their restructuring in order to strengthen their competitiveness in the world market. "The government has created and will create every favourable condition for businesses to raise their market competitiveness and seek more outlets for their products, including the expansion of traditional markets," Mr Khai said, adding that the government would help businesses to prepare for the implementation of ASEAN Free Trade Area and the Vietnam-US bilateral trade agreement. He shared the participants' opinions on obstacles that should be removed as many entrepreneurs and the President of the Vietnam Chamber of Industry and Commerce had voiced. Mr Khai also reminded the participants of the need to continue to carry out the Enterprise Law and remove difficulties and hurdles now barring businesses from promoting their production and business operation. He asked relevant ministries and agencies to continue revising and completing policies and mechanisms along with the renovation of thinking. Mr Khai ensured entrepreneurs of the government's endeavour to promote administrative reforms and build an effective administrative system to conform to a market economy. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ China pledges to elevate ties to new height A senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official said China is willing to work together with Vietnam to lift the China-Vietnam relations to a new dimension in the 21st century. Wei Jianxing, member of the Standing Board of the Politbuto and Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks on Thursday September 13, while meeting with Nguyen Van Son, member of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and director of its Department for External Affairs, now on a visit to China. The Chinese Party official also expressed his pleasure at the fine development of the traditional friendship between the two Parties and countries, which, he said, was an invaluable asset that the two Parties, governments, and people should preserve and develop. "China, together with Vietnam, is willing to bring these friendly ties to a new height in the 21st century, meeting the aspirations and interests of both countries and contributing to peace, stability, and development in the region and elsewhere in the world," Mr Wei told his Vietnamese guest. He also expressed his wish to promote the exchange of information and experiences between various commissions and branches of the two Parties and countries in order to enrich their experiences in building socialism. Earlier, Mr Son and his entourage exchanged views with a delegation of the CPC Central Committee's International Liaison Department led by Dai Bingguo on a wide range of regional and global issues of common concern. They further informed each other of the new situation in each Party and country and dicussed measures to strengthen the friendship and co-operation between the two departments in particular and the two Parties in general. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Australian denounces US's interference into Vietnam's internal affairs Chairman of New South Wales-Vietnam Chamber of Commerce, Laurence Strano has denounced the US House of Representatives' passing the so-called 'Vietnam Human Rights Act' as a serious violation of the United Nations Charter and its fundamental principles on national sovereignty. Mr Strano claimed that Vietnam has the right to request the US's respect for the international laws on this issue. He said that the human rights issue has been the card which powerful influences want to use as a pretext for their interference into other countries' internal affairs. "'The Vietnam Human Rights Act' runs counter to the improvement of both countries' relations and hinders the implementation of the Vietnam-US Bilateral Trade Agreement," Mr Strano emphasised. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Venezuela wants to promote co-operation Venezuela wants, and is willing, to discuss measures with Vietnam to establish and promote both countries' co-operation in trade, economy, culture and science and technology. So said Venezuela's Vice President Adina Bastidas to Vietnamese Ambassdor Thai Van Lung at the former's reception on September 10. The vice president told her guest that the Venezuelan government and people were determined to overcome difficulties and challenges and to make the country's socio-economic reform successful for the country's prosperity and happiness. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Protests against �Vietnam Human Rights Act� Representatives of social organisations, religious groups, scholars, intellectuals, and people of Ho Chi Minh City took part in a meeting at the city�s Friendship House on September 14, to express their protest against the US House of Representatives' passing of the so-called 'Vietnam Human Rights Act'. The participants affirmed that the people of Vietnam in general, and Ho Chi Minh City people in particular, express profound sorrow to the American people, especially to the victims� families of the terrorist attacks on the US. At the same time, they welcomed the House of Representatives' approval of the Vietnam-US bilateral trade agreement, considering it as a signal to boost the relations between the two countries. However, Ho Chi Minh City people see the approval of the 'Vietnam Human Rights Act� as a wrong action that distorts the real situation in Vietnam, severely violates Vietnam's sovereignty, and brazenly interferes with its internal affairs. The action is a serious violation not only of the United Nations Charter but also of the fundamental principles of international law. Ho Chi Minh City people affirmed that the approval of the act has hurt patriotism and the sense of national dignity of Vietnam, the friendly feelings and run counter to the aspiration of the two countries� people. With their will and action, Ho Chi Minh City people promised, along with the whole country�s people, to constantly follow the Communist Party of Vietnam, enhance national unity, bring into play national strength to build a Vietnam of a rich people, strong country and equitable, democratic and civilised society. They also said they hoped that the American people, along with progressive forces in the world, would raise their voice against and take action to prevent the approval of the act. *Vietnam Farmers� Association held a press conference to protest against the US House of Representatives' passing of the so-called 'Vietnam Human Rights Act' in Hanoi on September 13. The Farmers� Association called upon the farmers� associations of countries in the region and around the world to voice their protest against the act. * The Vietnam Union of Sciences and Technology Associations also released a statement refuting the act and calling on scientists, the American people and the world people to condemn the act on September 14. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Vietnamese, US war veterans meet A high-level meeting between the Vietnam War Veterans Association (VWVA) and the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) has been arranged in Hanoi. This was the 15th meeting between the two organisations in seven years. The VWVA delegation to the meeting was led by Lieutenant General Vu Xuan Vinh, permanent executive member of the VVA Central Committee, and the VVA delegation, by VVA special advisor Bill Duker. The two delegations discussed ways to continue bilateral co-operation on the issue of servicemen from both sides still missing in action (MIA). The US side spoke highly of Vietnam's effective support and help in the search for Americans missing in action and handed over to the Vietnamese side dossiers relating to Vietnamese soldiers missing in action during the war. Mr Vinh said he appreciated the US provision of new information on Vietnamese MIAs and spoke of� Vietnam's efforts to continue its co-operation with the US side in the MIA issue in a humanitarian spirit. He also urged the US government to pay more attention to solving the consequences of Agent Orange chemical sprayed in Vietnam by the US during the war. Referring to the September 6 endorsement of the so-called 'Vietnam Human Rights Act' by the US House of Representatives, Mr Vinh said the endorsement has triggered indignation among the Vietnamese people including war veterans as the act has distorted the real situation in Vietnam. _________________________________________________ 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] __________________________________________________
