Socialist Republic of Vietnam

The Vietnam-US Association issued a statement on July 16, protesting the approval of the US House of Representatives regarding some additional provisions of the Bill HR 1950 submitted by the Department of State. The statement is as follows:

The amendment groundlessly imposes a number of measures in the name of "democracy" and "human rights" which brazenly interfere in Vietnam's internal affairs, including irrational conditions on non-humanitarian aid to Vietnam, reviving the serious precedents of the cold war, threatening achievements in reconciliation in the past 28 years, damaging the bilateral relations at the time when the two countries are having active co-operation on MIAs search and implementation of Bilateral Trade Agreement. This move clearly runs counter to the aspiration of both governments and people in boosting Vietnam-US ties.

The Vietnam-US Association, an organisation of Vietnamese people set up to promote the friendship, co-operation and mutual understanding between the two people, strongly protests the amendment. The association welcomes and highly values the action of 211 members of the US House of Representatives, voting against the amendment.

The association proposes the US senators, with their vigilance and responsibility to the fundamental and long-term interest of the two nations, not to consider this wrong amendment.

The association calls on US political circles, public opinions and the US people to take practical actions to put aside the additional amendment the Bill HR 1950 in the spirit of respecting independence, sovereignty, non-interference into each other's internal affairs, co-dialogue for mutual understanding and co-operation, thus promoting the relationship between the two countries.