Socialist Republic of Vietnam

New York, Sept. 19 (VNA) -- Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy Nien called for greater unity among the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) members while addressing the NAM meeting held on the sideline of the 57th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Sept. 18.

" More now than ever, our movement, with its past experience and success, should and can play its part as a genuine global player, representing the interests of the weak and the poor. Alone we can be weak and poor, but together we raise a strofng and united voice that cannot be ignored, enabling us to table our demands and request due attention to our needs. Moreover, we should be more proactive in presenting our cases and concerns to the world rather than remaining reactive, waiting for decisions to be made upon us by the few as in many past cases," FM. Nien said.

He then pointed to the need to strengthen inner cooperation among NAM member nations, saying "While seeking new models for cooperation, we could bring into full play first and foremost the South-South cooperation through the sub-regional, regional and inter-regional cooperation models which have been tested as to their effectiveness and practicality. Viet Nam is prepared to cooperate with other member countries through a Tripartite Cooperation Model like the ones it has successfully implemented with Senegal, Benin and Madagascar".

On the situation in Iraq, FM Nien expressed his concern over the recent international developments relating to Iraq and welcomed efforts to defuse the tension in the country. He also voiced Viet Nam's full support for Iraq's acceptance of the return of UN weapon inspectors, stressing that any military action against a sovereign nation would severely threaten global and regional peace and security.

"We would not accept any attempt in the name of combating terrorism to advance the use of force and interference in the internal affairs and violation of state sovereignty," FM Nien affirmed.

The Vietnamese senior diplomat also took the occasion to express full support for the legitimate struggle of the Palestinian people and demand an early and full lifting of embargoes against Cuba, Iraq and Libya since "these outdated policies run counter to the trend of democratisation of international relations, and cause untold sufferings for innocent peoples".--Enditem