Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Twenty Vietnamese negotiators arrived in the U.S. Oct. 24 for the three-day bilateral trade negotiations with the U.S. for Vietnam’s bid to enter the World Trade Organization (WTO), said the Trade Ministry.

Deputy Trade Minister Luong Van Tu heads the Vietnamese delegation, while his U.S. counterpart is Dorothy Dwoskin, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for WTO and Multilateral Affairs.

This marks the first official WTO talks between the two countries after Vietnam had sent the U.S. its latest offers in September. The two sides had made sideline contact at the eighth working party in Geneva in June 2004 and another unofficial discussion had also been carried out during the U.S. Deputy Trade Representative Josette Sheeran Shiner’s visit to Vietnam in July.

Prior to the talks, which kick off Oct. 25, Ms. Dwoskin and other high-ranking officials of the U.S. Trade Representatives will hear the opinions of Vietnam’s entry to the WTO from the Vietnam-U.S. Trade Council and the U.S.-ASEAN Trade Council, which both represent hundreds of leading U.S. companies.

On Oct. 9, Vietnam and the European Union had signed a bilateral agreement on EU recognition of Vietnam’s entry into the World Trade Organization in Hanoi after the 10th round of talks wrapped up successfully.

(Source: Tuoi Tre – Compiled by The Vinh)
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Published: 25 October, 2004, 02:43:04 (GMT+7)
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