Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Ha Noi, Dec. 11 (VNA) -- The Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) wishes U.S. businesses to early recognise that lawsuit is not the best way to commercial disputes, but direct dialogues.

However, VASEP and its members will follow through the U.S. lawsuit against Viet Nam's "tra" and "basa" catfish in case the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) gives an unobjective and harmful decision against Vietnamese catfish enterprises, said VASEP Secretary General, Dr. Nguyen Huu Dung.

He stressed that VASEP was ready to discuss constructive measures with a view to helping its members boost business operations and Mekong Delta's farmers improve their living conditions by increasing "tra" and "basa" exports to the U.S. and other countries without any commercial barriers.

The only wish that VASEP members have cherrished is free competitition to sell high-quality sea food at prices acceptable to the American people. "However, VASEP has good understanding of its legal strength in the lawsuit and, if necessary, it is determined to follow suit to the final at the U.S. International Trade Committee (ITC)," Dung said.

The VASEP official slamed the U.S. Catfish Farmers Association (CFA)'s charges that a "state of emergency" has come in an anti-dumping investigation as an other step of escalation by the U.S. that made the investigation complicated and caused difficulties to both Vietnamese catfish businesses and U.S. catfish fillet importers.

VASEP refuted the charge, saying that it was far from the truth. "VASEP members have been providing correct data for the U.S. DOC and believe that both DOC and the ITC will reject CFA's groundless charge," Dung said.

He reiterated that if the U.S. DOC use VASEP's information on Viet Nam's catfish-related issue correctly and objectively, it will see that Viet Nam has never dumped their catfish products.