VNA
President Ho Chi Minh - founder of Vietnam's diplomacy Vietnam's diplomatic approach today is still based on the fundamental principles of diplomacy instituted by Vietnam's first president, Ho Chi Minh. This affirmation was made at a symposium on 'Cultural activist Ho Chi Minh and Vietnamese modern diplomacy' in Hanoi on October 12. The symposium was told that Ho Chi Minh upheld the spirit of independence, self-determination, and self-reliance while promoting international unity and co-operation so as to effectively combine the national strength with the strength of the times. His imprint can be seen throughout the development of Vietnam's diplomacy over the past half-century. It was also affirmed at the symposium that Ho Chi Minh, who steered the Vietnamese revolution boat through its most critical moments, left a profound impression on his foreign friends. Fifteen reports delivered at the symposium covered Ho Chi Minh's thought, workstyle, and diplomatic art. They pointed out that all those elements reflect the nature and stature of the great cultural activist and diplomatic genius - Ho Chi Minh. The symposium was held to mark the 10th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's being honoured a 'National Liberation Hero and Great Cultural Activist' by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Prime minister visits Leipzig Prime Minister Phan Van Khai and his entourage left Berlin for Leipzig city on the evening of October 11. Meeting Vietnamese nationals living in Leipzig and neighbouring areas at Fuersten Hof Hotel, Mr Khai informed them of the country's current industrialisation and modernisation process and called on them to unite and contribute to the national construction at home. Prime Minister Khai and his entourage were warmly received by the Sachsen Deputy Governor on the morning of October 12. The Vietnamese government leader was also invited to visit the old Town Hall and Saint Thomas's Church - two original architectural styles in Leipzig. Mr Khai also called at a crane manufacturing firm named Kirow KE Kranbau Eberswalde AG, theLeipzig University, and the city's Sports and Physical Training Centre. On the evening of that same day, Prime Minister Khai and his entourage left Leipzig for Dresden. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ China-Vietnam youth meeting helps strengthen ties The on-going friendship meeting between youth from Vietnam and China will help to further strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries, Politburo member, secretary, and permanent member of the Secretariat of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, CPV CC, Phan Dien said. Mr Dien was speaking to a Chinese youth delegation headed by first secretary of the Communist Youth League of China, Zhou Qiang, at a reception in Hanoi on October 12. The Chinese guests have been in Hanoi for the first friendship meeting between Vietnamese and Chinese youth since October 10th and will be returning to China on October 15th. The Party leader pointed to the significance of the meeting with regard to educating young generations about the traditional friendship and co-operation between the two countries. The meeting also contributed to the implementation of the Joint Statement by high-level Party leaders of Vietnam and China in February, 1999, Mr Dien noted. He expressed his joy at the new development of bilateral ties in the recent past. He affirmed the wish of Vietnam's Party, State, and people to enhance friendly and co-operative ties with the Party, State, and people of China in the interest of both peoples and for peace, stability, and development in the region and the world. The host informed his guests of the initial results obtained during the course of carrying out the Resolution passed by the ninth CPV CC Congress. He spoke highly of the contributions made by Vietnamese young generations to different stages of the Vietnamese revolution and affirmed the Party's confidence in the role played by the young generation in the current national industrialisation and modernisation. Chinese head delegate Zhou Qiang briefed his host of the success of the friendship meeting. He affirmed the Chinese Communist Youth League and young generation's wish and determination to further broaden bilateral friendship and co-operation with the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and the young generation of Vietnam in the future, thus contributing to the strengthening of relations between China and Vietnam. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Red Cross Association appeals for help to flood victims President of the Vietnam Red Cross Association, Nguyen Trong Nhan and head of the International Red Crescent and Red Cross Society in Vietnam, Bo Backstrom on October 11 sent letters of appeal to ambassadors, consuls, representatives of non-governmental organisations, international organisations in Vietnam and domestic units, companies and kind-hearted individuals, calling for urgent relief, in cash and in kind, for natural disasters victims. The appeal aims to raise some VND 7.5 billion (US $500,000) in cash, in kind and other activities to support 150,000 flood victims in the Cuu Long (Mekong) delta for three months. The money collected will be spent on rice, household appliances, boats and fishing nets for the victims. Earlier, on September 5, Mr Nguyen Trong Nhan made an appeal to all the people for support to the flood victims. The Vietnam Red Cross Association and the International Red Crescent and Red Cross Society in Vietnam assure that all the precious donations will go to the victims. All donations will be welcomed at 82 Nguyen Du street, Hanoi. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ASEAN ministers meet to fight crime The conference of ASEAN interior ministers and senior securities officials held recently in Singapore released a joint statement to pledge full commitment in the fight against terrorism and other types of international crimes. The statement said in addition to traditional crimes such as drug trafficking, money laundering, and pirating, ASEAN countries are facing increasing threat from new types of international crimes such as terrorism, economic crimes, and crimes related to the use of the Internet. These types of crimes are on the rise with more sophistication and are hampering socio-economic development and prosperity of ASEAN countries. The statement said ASEAN countries condemn all types of terrorism, especially the terrorism attacks in the United States on September 11 and pledged full co-operation with the international community and countries in the region to counter terrorism. Measures include sharing intelligence information on terrorist activities and increasing dialogue among ASEAN member countries in the fight against terrorism. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Vietnam, France sign youth co-operation agreement Vietnam and France have signed an agreement on co-operation in implementing a plan of action for young people during the 2001-2005 period. The agreement was reached during a recent visit to France by a delegation of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCMCYU) as guests of France's Ministry of Youth and Sports. The delegation was led by HCMCYU First Secretary and Chairman of the National Committee of Youth Hoang Binh Quan. During the visit, the delegation had working sessions with an inter-ministerial mission against drugs, the National Institute for Research of Youth and Education, the Ministry of Labour and Solidarity, and an inter-ministerial mission for youth-related affairs. The two sides exchanged views of issues relating to both countries' young people. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Vietnam supports complete elimination of weapons of mass destruction Vietnam persistently supports regional and international initiatives to achieve a complete elimination of weapons of mass destruction, said Counsellor of the Vietnamese Permanent Mission to the United Nations Hoang Chi Trung in New York on October 11. Addressing the General Debate of the First Committee of the 56th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, the Vietnamese representative noted: "In the realities of our world, the policies which rely on nuclear deterrence and the retention of huge arsenals of nuclear warheads are simply wrong and unjustifiable on any count. My delegation would like to underline that it is now a matter of urgency and, in many ways, of survival for humankind, that the United Nations should redouble its efforts to galvanise the world community to work hard together for a world free from nuclear and biological weapons." He further said that Vietnam wishes to emphasise that the surest way to ensure against the use of weapons of mass destruction is total prohibition of such weapons. It was overdue that a convention banning nuclear weapons be concluded by the United Nations, Mr Trung told the session, adding that one of the objectives of the international conference was to reach some agreement on this imperative. "We are going to hold the first preparatory meeting for the review conference of the Non-Proliferation Treaty this summer. This will be an opportunity to assess the progress of the implementation of the provisions of this important regime. It is unfortunate to note that the Nuclear States are not yet forthcoming in realising the commitments they made under Article VI of the Treaty and more recently at the 2000 review conference. Vietnam wishes to join the other delegations and call on the Nuclear States to carry out without any further delay the practical steps agreed upon in the Final Document of the review conference as initial building blocks leading towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons," the Vietnamese representative noted. He added: "It is encouraging, however, to recognise that the two principal Nuclear States have repeatedly pledged to work harder together to accelerate the START process with a view to reducing more drastically their stockpiles of nuclear warheads and their delivery systems." "Vietnam continues to note with great concern the negative implications of the on-going efforts to develop and deploy anti-ballistic missile systems as well as the determined pursuit of advanced military technologies for deployment in outer space," Counsellor Trung said. He added that this tendency is very worrying to many countries, including Vietnam for it may trigger another costly and wasteful arms race which mankind as a whole cannot afford. The Vietnamese diplomat went on to clarify Vietnam's position toward the ABM Treaty, saying the treaty is a cornerstone of international strategic stability and its abrogation holds grave consequences for world peace and security. Vietnam, therefore, calls on the State Parties to the Treaty to respect the integrity and comply fully with the provisions of this important Treaty, Mr Trung said. He continued his speech: "Vietnam, on behalf of the member countries of the Association of South East Asian Nations has introduced a Paper of 10 measures leading to a world free from nuclear weapons at the recent session of the United Nations Disarmament Commission. Our contribution has been reflected in the Chairman's Working Paper which will serve as a basis for the formulation of a guideline of ways and means to promote nuclear disarmament. My delegation sincerely hopes that at the coming session of the UN Disarmament Commission, these measures will be agreed upon and a new momentum be created in our common efforts to acquit ourselves of this urgent task. One of the immediate tasks described in our Paper is to enable the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) to enter into force as soon as possible. There are several obstacles to overcome and even greater and more consistent efforts are called for. We look forward to the rescheduled conference to facilitate this objective." "Bio-terrorism is a word often heard in town these days after the tragic events which took place a few miles from this room. Even if this is only rumour or purely hearsay, efforts to strengthen the compliance of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC) are needed as urgently as ever. In this context, my delegation regrets that the negotiations on a Protocol setting up a verification and compliance regime of the Convention have not been successful. We earnestly hope that the differences will be soon resolved and fruitful negotiations on this regime will be resumed at the up-coming Review Conference," the counsellor concluded. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Nobel prize winner lauds Vietnam's 10-year plan Professor Joseph Stiglitz, who won this year's Nobel prize in Economics, has lauded Vietnam's economic development strategy. Professor Stiglitz, who received the Nobel Laureate in Economics at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on October 11, visited Vietnam in June of this year. He came to Vietnam as a consultant with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which advises the Vietnamese government on the implementation of its 10-year social and economic development strategy. Speaking at the time, Professor Stiglitz said: "The strategy is one that attempts to ensure equity and stability at the same time as it promotes growth. "It embodies a deliberate and gradual transformation of the economy. Indeed, I believe that without equity and stability, one cannot attain sustainable growth." During his visit to Vietnam, Professor Stiglitz held private meetings with Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Manh Cam, Trade Minister Vu Khoan, and State Bank Governor Le Duc Thuy. "Professor Stiglitz was very positive about his consultations with Vietnam's leaders and policy makers, and plans to return to Vietnam during 2002 within the framework of UNDP's policy advisory assistance to the government," said Robert Glofcheaki, the UNDP's chief resident _________________________________________________ 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] __________________________________________________
