Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Vice Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly's Foreign Affairs Committee Ngo Quang Xuan has emphasised the necessity to put the issue of Agent Orange/Dioxin into the comprehensive US-Vietnam relations and develop a long-term cooperation policy on the issue.
Ambassador Xuan, who is also Co-Chair of the US-Vietnam Dialogue Group on AO/Dioxin, made the statement at the second hearing on AO/dioxin in Washington , the US , on June 2.
Xuan said that although Vietnam and the US have achieved good results in proactive cooperation in economics, trade and humanitarian issues, the impact of AO/Dioxin on Vietnamese people and environment remained unsolved.
To solve the issue, he suggested the further promotion of public and private sector partnership along with speeding up the disbursement pace and promoting various forms of regular dialogue and information exchanges.
For his part, Scot Marciel, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and Ambassador for ASEAN Affairs of the US Department of State's Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said that the US and Vietnam are now engaged in practical and constructive cooperation on the issue.
He committed to “work hard to ensure US government assistance complements an open and effective multi-actor approach to addressing outstanding concerns related to AO/Dioxin”.
Mary Eileen Dolan-Hogrefe, Vice President and Senior Advisor of the National Organisation on Disability, stressed the need for the US to commit resources and expertise for Vietnam to continue resolving the environment problems caused by AO, and to help create a movement for disabled people to attract more medical attention and assistance in capacity building.
Prof. Vo Quy, who is also a zoologist, ecologist and environmentalist, informed the audiences of the impacts of toxic chemicals sprayed by the US troops during the Vietnam war on the environment.
He expressed his hope that the hearing would help the US Congress and people better understand the severity of the toxic chemical’s damage to Vietnam ’s environment and people.
He took the occasion to call for the US 's responsibility and humanity to heal the wounds of the war in order to drive away the "last ghost of war".
The hearing, entitled "Completing the task: What should we do to address the impact of Agent Orange in Vietnam", was held under the chairmanship of Congressman Eni Faleomavaega, Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs' Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and the Global Environment.
It drew the participation of a number of officials from the US Congress and Administration, members of the US-Vietnam Dialogue Group on AO/Dioxin as well as US scientists, friends and people./.