VNA Party leader Nong Duc Manh meets people at Kim Lien village, Nam Dan district, Nghe An. Party General Secretary and National Assembly Chairman Nong Duc Manh paid a working visit to Nghe An central province on May 18-19. On May 19, the Party leader and his entourage arrived at President Ho Chi Minhıs Memorial Site in Kim Lien village, Nam Dan district to offer incense to the great president. In the visitorsı book, the Party chief promised to Uncle Ho to go on the socialist path chosen by Uncle and the people for a strong, prosperous, just, democratic and socialised Vietnam. Mr Manh had a cordial talk with the local people. He praised them for their achievements recorded in the cause of industrialisation and modernisation. The same day in the afternoon, the Party general secretary had a working session with the provincial authorities and visited officers and soldiers of the Military Zone No 4 at their headquarters. Earlier, on May 18, the Party leader paid a visit to Hoang Mai Cement Plant in Quynh Luu district, a project to welcome the Ninth National Party Congress. He wished workers of the factory good health and happiness and urged them to make greater efforts to the national cause of industrialisation and modernisation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ PM offers incense to President Ho Chi Minh Prime Minister Phan Van Khai who is also a Politburo member offered incense to President Ho Chi Minh at his memorial site at the Presidential Palace on the occasion of the beloved presidentıs 111th birthday. The prime minister spoke with the staff of the site and other cadres who used to serve President Ho Chi Minh through different eras. The prime minister praised the staff for their good work in preserving Uncle Hoıs relics, contributing to make the Ho Chi Minh relic site at the Presidential Palace a great school on President Ho Chi Minh for generations of Vietnamese people and international friends. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Uncle Ho's birthday commemorated nationwide Cities, provinces and organisations across the country organised many activities to celebrate the 111th birthday of late President Ho Chi Minh (May 19, 1890 - May 19, 2001). More than 7,000 people, including 2,000 Chinese people living near the border, visited Pac Bo relic site in Cao Bang northern mountainous province. Exhibitions entitled 'Ho Chi Minh's Thought with the Renovation Process' were opened in Cao Bang, Tra Vinh and Thua Thien - Hue. Leaders of Can Tho province offered incense at Uncle Ho's Temple in Luong Tam commune, Long My district. A tree-planting festival 'Forever Remember Uncle Ho's Gratitude' was launched in Soc Trang, Dong Nai, Dak Lak, Phan Thiet, Bac Lieu and Binh Duong provinces. Seminars about Uncle Ho and his sentiment to Thanh Hoa province were held in many localities in Thanh Hoa province. A showroom with more than 280 artefacts and pictures of Uncle Ho has recently been inaugurated in Tra Vinh province. Lao Cai and Binh Phuoc province launched a film show with the theme of the Party and late leader Ho. Binh Phuoc province also published a review 'Uncle Ho's Sentiment with Vietnamese Ethnic Minority People'. About 200 young people in Dong Nai province participated in a youth's camping festival named ' Following Uncle Ho's Teachings'. More than 100 Youth Union's members of Hung Yen province took part in a musical performance 'Young People Follow Uncle Ho's Teachings'. Kon Tum province launched a contest about the revolutionary life of Uncle Ho. Khanh Hoa province organised many cultural activities such as film shows and exhibitions about Uncle Ho. Talks about Uncle Ho's writings were held in Tuyen Quang province with hundreds of people in attendance. The Political College of Ba Ria- Vung Tau province held a symposium on President Ho's Thought and Virtue. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ President Ho 's birthday marked abroad Late President Ho Chi Minh's 111th birthday was marked by Vietnam's embassies in Cambodia, Indonesia and France on May 18 with the attendance of many Vietnamese people and overseas Vietnamese. Vietnamese ambassador to Cambodia, Nguyen Duy Hung, ambassador to France, Nguyen Manh Dung and minister counsellor to Indonesia, Nguyen Tien Minh addressed the function, reviewing the revolutionary life of President Ho and highlighting his great contribution to the national liberation, to the Party and the Vietnamese people. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ National Assembly to begin meeting Vietnam's National Assembly will begin its ninth session in Hanoi on May 22, said Vu Mao, director of the National Assembly Office, at a press conference held on May 19. Mr Vu Mao, who is also a member of the NA Standing Committee, said that the session will focus on the law-building work, which includes the passage of six draft laws such as the Law on the Amendment and Supplementation to the Land Law; the Law on Fire Prevention and Fighting; the Law on Cultural Heritage; the Law on Customs; the Law on Land Traffic; and a number of other laws. The session, due to last for more than a month, will consider the amendment and supplementation to the 1992 Constitution's articles on the organisation of the State apparatus, and decide the formation of a committee for revising the Constitution. The National Assembly will also discuss a supplementary report on the implementation of socio-economic tasks and the state budget in 2000 as well as the deployment of socio-economic tasks and the state budget for 2001. It will also discuss and make decisions on a number of other important issues. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ NA Standing Committee meets The National Assembly Standing Committee met in Hanoi from May 14-19. It was presided over by Chairman Nong Duc Manh and Deputy Chairman Mai Thuc Lan. The Standing Committee reviewed the preparations for the coming ninth session of the tenth National Assembly, due to open in Hanoi on May 22. It also discussed a supplementary report on the implementation of socio-economic tasks and the State budget for last year as well as the deployment of socio-economic tasks and the State budget for this year. It noted that the socio-economic development continued to gain momentum in the first four months of 2001, with a gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate higher than the corresponding period of last year and a high growth recorded in industrial and agricultural production. However, it also said that these growth rates were lower than the set targets for the whole year, so that more efforts should be exerted to boost socio-economic development in the remaining months. The Standing Committee agreed with six groups of measures set by the government to successfully carry out the 2001 tasks. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Deputy PM welcomes Chinese guests Deputy PM Nguyen Manh Cam (left) receives Mr Cheng Binhquan. Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Manh Cam received a delegation from Guangdong province, China, led by vice chairman of the province, Cheng Binhquan, in Hanoi on May 18. Mr Cam welcome the Chinese guests and said that their visit opened a new stage in co-operative relations between Vietnam and Guangdong. He highly valued achievements of the province over recent years, especially in electronics, engineering, and electric appliances. He noted that a two-way trade of more than US $300 million in 2000 was not commensurate with the potentials of both sides. He said he hoped that Guangdong and Vietnam's localities and services would promote experience exchange, boost economic, commercial, and investment co-operation, thus enhancing Vietnam-China relations under the motto "friendly neighbourliness, comprehensive co-operation, long-term stability, and looking towards the future." Vice Chairman Binhquan said he found that Vietnam's policies had become more favourable for foreign investors, while encouraging domestic production. He noted that Guangdong always attached importance to economic and commercial co-operation with Vietnam. The two sides had great potential for development of their co-operation and many businessmen from Guangdong had run their business effectively in Vietnam, he said. He also said he hoped that in the coming period more delegations from the two sides would visit each other to seek opportunities of co-operation for mutual benefits. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ HCM City Youth Unionıs seventh congress ends Generations of youth to the congress. The seventh congress of the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union, the 2001-2005 term, ended on May 19 after three working days. During the sixth tenure (1996-2000), the unionıs various activities contributed to educate young people on revolutionary ideal, thus creating a young generation of great patriots who have knowledge, health and citizenıs high responsibilities. In the past five years, the union admitted 183,435 more members. Seventy per cent of the wards and villages have youth organisations. Over 420,000 young vanguard pioneers and hundreds of thousands of young children have been directed by the union. As many as 4,581 outstanding members have been introduced to the Party. The congress defined four major tasks in the seventh tenure which include: - To continue to push forward the work on ideological and political education work; take care of the interests of the young people and create favourable conditions for young peopleıs comprehensive development. - To raise the spirit of voluntariness among young people in national reconstruction and defence. - To actively participate in Party building and - To implement three programmes of action: For the Development of Youth,ı Vanguard Young People for the Country, for the Community,ı and For the Younger Generations.ı Attending the congress with 600 delegates representing 250,000 members of the cityıs Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, were members of the Party Central Committee: Hoang Dinh Quan, acting first secretary of the Youth Union Central Committee; Lieutenant General Phan Trung Kien, Military Zone No 7ıs commander; Huynh Dam, deputy secretary of the cityıs Party Committee and chairman of the Peopleıs Council; Le Thanh Hai, chairman of the Peopleıs Committee; representatives of youth organisations in the city and neighbouring provinces, revolutionary veterans and Heroic Mothers. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hanoi, Moscow sign MoU on co-operation Hanoi People's Committee Deputy Chairman Nguyen Quoc Trieu and Moscow's First Vice Mayor Shantisev Valery signed in Hanoi on May 19 a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on development of friendly and co-operative relations between the two capital cities. The MoU is the furtherance of an agreement on friendly and co-operative ties between Hanoi and Moscow signed on July 11, 1998 by the two mayors. The MoU provides for the organisation of 'Hanoi Days in Moscow' in May 2002, the establishment of a Moscow-Hanoi Joint Working Group to boost bilateral co-operation and effectively implement signed agreements, information on the two capitals' socio-economic development and their co-operation, measures to broaden economic and commercial relations, and exchanges of experience in solving urgent issues. The same day, the Moscow delegation led by First Vice Mayor S Valery paid a floral tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at his Mausoleum and visited Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature). The delegation also attended the opening ceremony of the Week of Moscow Films and the 'Moscow-Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow' exhibition. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dialogue between ASEAN and five powers held in Hanoi A dialogue between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries and the five nuclear powers - the U.S., Russia, Great Britain, France, and China - was held in Hanoi on May 19. The dialogue focused on the five nuclear powers' support for and participation in the protocols laid down by the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ). The dialogue was the first of its kind since SEANWFZ managing and implementing agencies were set up in 1999. The two sides exchanged views and concerns about the SEANWFZ Treaty. China is the first nation to pledge support for and participate in the SEANWFZ protocols. The other nuclear powers have promised to study it and give their answers soon. SEANWFZ was signed by ASEAN leaders in December 1995 in Bangkok and officially took effect in March 1997. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Deputy foreign ministerial ASEAN +3 meeting held in Hanoi A meeting of vice foreign ministers of ASEAN countries and three dialogue partners of China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea, (ASEAN + 3 meeting) was held in Hanoi on May 19. The meeting reviewed the implementation of the Joint Statement on East Asia Co-operation and the deployment of decisions made by the summit between ASEAN countries and these countries in Singapore last November. They also prepared for an ASEAN + 3 ministerial meeting due to take place in Hanoi this July. The participants focused on the exchange of ASEAN + 3 co-operation in preferential areas such as human resource development, co-operation in developing Mekong river basins and ASEAN sub-regions, and information technology. The participants also discussed co-operation in economic, financial, scientific-technological, environmental, agricultural, tourism, and cultural sectors. They stressed the need for furthering ASEAN + 3 co-operation in narrowing the gap of development among ASEAN member countries as well as between ASEAN and northeast Asian countries. It affirmed that the course of East Asian co-operation, though it has just begun, has made some inspiring progress, thus contributing to peace, stability, and development of each country and the whole region as well. In implementation of the decision made by the summit meeting between ASEAN and China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea, the first ASEAN + 3 meeting of deputy foreign ministers in Ho Chi Minh City this May set up a group of East Asia Study. In its second meeting in Hanoi, the participants passed the group's function and tasks to pave the way for its operation. (VNA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Seminar on co-operation for central Vietnam development held An international seminar on cooperation for economic and cultural development of central Vietnam was held in Paris on May 17. The seminar, the third of its kind, was organised by the France-Vietnam Friendship Association under the sponsorship of the United Nations' Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), and the Francophone Community. Representatives from UNESCO, the Francophone Community, the Parliament, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Culture, and Equipment and Transport as well as other relevant agencies attended the seminar. Speeches delivered at the seminar analysed the importance and potential of four central provinces of Thua Thien-Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam, and Quang Ngai in Vietnam's economic development strategy, stressing their cultural and tourist potential. The participants expressed their hope to boost investment in the region. The France-Vietnam Friendship Association will hold more seminars to encourage businesses and cultural organisations in France to expand cultural and economic co-operation with Vietnam, announced the Honourary president of the association. (VNA) _________________________________________________ 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] __________________________________________________
