Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Ha Noi, Jan. 17 (VNA) -- Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu reiterated the unswerving determination of the entire Party and people to advance the country along the path of socialist construction on the basis of Marxism-Leninism and the Ho Chi Minh Thought.

In his closing speech at the 11th plenum of the Party Central Committee on Jan. 16, Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu said Viet Nam has to be prepared to take advantage of major opportunities as well as big challenges that will accrue as a results of "New features in the international and regional situation."

He noted that ideas and comments made at the 11-day meeting were mostly identical with assessments presented in draft documents that listed both advantages and disadvantages, strengths and weaknesses, achievements and limitations, and lessons to be drawn from experiences.

Party leader Le Kha Phieu spoke of the nations' development prospects in the 21st century.

"The third world war is unlikely to erupt in the next few decades. Peace, cooperation and development is a major trend reflecting the keen desire of many countries. However, local wars, armed conflicts, racial and religious clashes, arms race, activities of interference and subversion, terrorism and socio-economic crises will possibly occur in many places in an even more complicated manner.

"New progress will be attained in the struggle for peace and development, against war, the arms race and the use of force, serving the interests of national independence, democracy, welfare, and social progress and justice.

"These new features of the international and regional situation, influenced by their prevailing trends, will exert a strong impact on Viet Nam. We are facing major opportunities as well as big challenges.

"We reaffirm that there remain four dangers facing the nation that the Party has already warned of. They have developed in a complex, interconnected and mutually-influenced manner. None of them can be ignored but particular attention should be paid to the danger of lagging further behind in economic development and the danger of corruption, bureaucracy, and moral degradation of not a small number of Party cadres and members."

He said Viet Nam's path toward socialism would bypass capitalist (socio-economic) development and the establishment of dominant position of the capitalist relations of production and superstructure.

However, the nation has enjoyed and benefited from mankind's socio-economic achievements, especially in science and technology, to boost production forces and build a modern economy, he said.

The Party leader said it was natural that in a transitional stage where there were various forms of ownership of the means of production, many sectors and social strata, there would arise class contraditions and class struggles.

But "changes have been made to the class structure, characters and positions and alongside major socio-economic renewal," he said.

He said the main content of the class struggle is to successfully implement the task of socialist-oriented modernisation and industrialisation and overcome poverty and under-development. This will be the focal task during the transitional period to socialism, he added.

He called for further efforts to attain social equality; fight oppression and social injustice; prevent the spread of negative ideology and acts; maintain social order; foil dark schemes and sabotage attempts by hostile forces; defend national independence and build Viet Nam into a strong socialist state with a prospersous and happy people.

With regard to economic development, the plenum reaffirmed that the Party and State intend to pursue persistently the policy of developing a multi-sectoral commodity economy controlled by the State and operated in accordance with a socialist-oriented market structure.

A socialist-oriented market economy will be Viet Nam's general economic model in its transitional period to socialism.

It was agreed that special attention will be paid to developing some select industries including the hi-tech industry, and the manufacturing of important machine tools and materials.

"We cannot build an independent and self-governing national economy without our own industrial base of manufacturing essential means of production and materials.

"However we should underline that we cannot build heavy industries with the forms we once had," Phieu said.

The plenum agreed that the knowledge-based economy is one whose development depends on utilisation of scientific knowledge and modern technology. While it is a highly developed level of production forces and the world economy, it is by no means a socio-economic form, it noted.

The Party leader called for taking maximum possible advantage of new scientific and technological advances at a "higher and broader level."

Mr. Phieu said the current Party building and rectification campaign were positive efforts made following the Eighth Party Congress held in 1996. However, the results have fallen short of expectations, with red tape, corruption and moral degeneration among party officials and members remaining a serious problem.

He said the plenum reaffirmed the Party as a whole should focus its efforts on effectively implementing resolutions governing the Party rectification and building campaign passed since the Eighth Party Congress until now, particularly at the second meeting of the Sixth Plenum.

It is imperative that the two years of Party rectification and building drive is reviewed towards making the Party genuinely strong, ideologically and politically, he said.

Mr. Phieu said amendments to the Party statutes were based on recommendations forwarded by grassroots party organisations concerning organisational principles, inspections and leadership of the Party organisation at all levels.

The plenum achieved a high degree of concensus on important contents of the draft political report and other documents to be presented to the upcoming National Congress.

The Draft Political Report will be made public to collect and include recommendations from the general public before being submitted to the congress, the Party leader said.--VNA