Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Viet Nam News, November 13, 2003

WASHINGTON — Defence Minister General Pham Van Tra has welcomed the enhancement of relations between Viet Nam and the United States, especially between the military, as "noteworthy".

But he has told a Washington-based correspondent of the Viet Nam News Agency that the military could make greater contributions to peace, friendship, stability and development in the Asian-Pacific region, if hurdles to expansion of the bond between the two countries were removed.

"Viet Nam’s defence stance is to defend peace, preserve and develop friendship and co-operation with all nations across the world," General Tra said yesterday.

The Defence Minister, who is making an landmark visit to the US at the invitation of Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, said that Viet Nam refrained from either confrontation of or attacks against any country.

But it would never let any force infringe upon its independence, sovereignty, unification and territorial integrity.

Viet Nam also refrained from military alliances while advocating efforts to prevent and repulsing war threats, supporting regions free from nuclear weapons, and countering the production and proliferation of nuclear, chemical, biological and other weapons of mass destruction.

The general said Viet Nam’s national security was closely associated with regional and international security.

"We hold that expansion of diplomatic and military ties with all other countries, regardless of political and social regimes, including the US and other countries, big or small, in the region is of special importance," Tra said.

Of his and his delegation’s talks with senior US officials, the Defence Minister said both had shared the same view about the need to strengthen mutual understanding.

These included measures to increase the exchange of visits between military delegations of different rank; step up co-operation to address humanitarian issues and the consequences of war, expand co-operation in medical and technical training as well as exchange information in the fight against terrorism.

"We also asked the US side to provide us information of those people seeking to smuggle into and conduct terrorist activities in Viet Nam and take measures to prevent them," Tra said.

He emphasised that his delegation had asked the US Government as well as American companies, which had produced and used toxic chemicals in the Viet Nam war, to honour their ethical and moral responsibilities toward millions of victims of the toxic substances.

"The US should first of all help Viet Nam with advanced technology and facilities to clear chemical substances still left at the Da Nang, Bien Hoa, Phu Cat airports and at the foot of the Cu Mong pass in Binh Dinh province," Tra said.

He added that the US should have specific plans to help victims of toxic chemicals overcome difficulties in their daily life.

The US Government has drawn up programmes to provide equipment to clear bombs and mines and conduct surveys on the impact of those munitions on some central Viet Nam provinces.

Tra said Washington had also committed itself to adding money to those prog-rammes and helping local people with resettlement, infrastructure construction and stabilisation of their production and life. — VNS