> >Vietnam, Laos to promote relations > >Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) General Secretary Le Kha Phieu says the >Vietnamese Party and State wants to see the close relations between Laos and >Vietnam further strengthened in the interests of the two peoples. >At a reception on December 20, Mr Phieu told Lao Deputy Prime Minister and >Foreign Affairs Minister Somsavat Lengsavad, that a stronger development of >Vietnam-Laos bilateral relations would also benefit peace, national >independence, democracy and social progress in the world. > >Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad, who is also a member of the Lao >People's Revolutionary Party Central Committee (LPRP CC) is leading a >delegation from the LPRP CC's External Relations Commission on an official >visit to Vietnam. > >Mr Phieu praised efforts made by the CPV's Commission for External Relations >and its Lao counterpart in implementing the tasks assigned by the two Parties. > > >He said the efforts had made positive contributions to the development of the >special friendship and solidarity and comprehensive co-operation between the >two countries. > >After briefing the General Secretary about talks held earlier with officials >from the CPV's Commission for External Relations, Somsavat Lengsavad pledged >that Laos would do its best to promote the special ties. > >At the talks, the guests and hosts exchanged views about regional and >international issues of common concern and the two Parties' co-operation >programme. > >Mr Somsavat Lengsavad and the director of CPV's Commission for External >Relations, Nguyen Van Son, signed a co-operation programme for 2001 by which >Vietnam and Laos will broaden the exchange of information, experience, >Party-related documents and studies. (VNA) > > >------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >- > >President praises Lao achievements > >President Tran Duc Luong spoke highly of Laos's socio-economic achievements, >particularly in agriculture, and its enhanced international status when >receiving Lao National Assembly Chairman Samane Vignaketh in Hanoi on December >21. >The president also expressed his appreciation of the unceasing development of >the traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive co-operation >between the Parties, States and peoples of Vietnam and Laos. > >In response, the Lao NA chairman thanked the Vietnam government, State and >people for their help to Laos's national construction. > >He said that he hoped the time-honoured traditional friendship and >comprehensive co-operation between the two peoples would be further >strengthened in the 21st century. > >Earlier, a high-ranking delegation from the Lao National Assembly, led by >Chairman S Vignaketh, paid floral tributes to President Ho Chi Minh at his >Mausoleum. The delegation also held working sessions with Minister of Planning >and Investment Tran Xuan Gia and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development >Le Huy Ngo. > >The delegation will leave Hanoi on December 23 for the northern mountain >provinces of Tuyen Quang, Ha Giang and Yen Bai. (VNA) > > >------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >- > >NA chairman receives foreign MPs > > > >National Assembly Chairman Nong Duc Manh received in Hanoi on December 20 the >heads of five foreign parliamentary delegations, who took part in a December >18 and 19 seminar on reforming parliamentary organisations and operations. >Chairman Manh said he wanted to learn from their experiences and hold further >in-depth meetings, in a bid to lift the performance of the NA's functional >bodies. > >He added the seminar had been an excellent opportunity to promote mutual >understanding between the highest legislative bodies in the five countries, >namely Sweden, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, the Republic of Korea, and Vietnam. > >The heads of the visiting delegations told Chairman Manh that they were >impressed with the growing bilateral ties between legislative offices in >Vietnam and those of their respective countries. > >Chairman Manh suggested that future seminars should be organised to allow a >greater variety of workshops to be held, covering a wider range of >parliamentary activities. > >He asked the Swedish and Cambodian head delegates to convey his thanks to the >Swedish Speaker Brigitta Dahl for inviting him to visit Sweden, and the >Cambodian Parliamentary Speaker Prince Norodom Ranariddh for inviting him to >attend an international peace conference to be sponsored by the Cambodian >Parliament at the end of next month. He said he gladly accepted the >invitations. (VNA) > > >------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >- > >Defence Ministry meets foreign military attaches > >The Defence Ministry gave a reception to foreign military attaches in Hanoi on >December 21 for the 56th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam People's >Army (December 22). >Deputy Defence Minister Lieutenant General Nguyen Huy Hieu thanked the >military attaches and ambassadors for their promotion of friendship between >Vietnam, their countries and armies. > >The hosts and guests raised toasts to the development of the Vietnam People's >Army and the friendship between the Vietnam People's Army and other armies. >(VNA) > > >------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >- > >Military Zone 9 marks 55th anniversary > >A meeting was held yesterday to celebrate 55th anniversary of the Military >Zone 9 (December 10, 1945 - December 10, 2000). > >Politburo member and Minister of Defence, Senior Lieutenant Senior Pham Van >Tra praised the Command and soldiers of the military zone who fought with >fortitude and wholeheartedly helped people protect rice crop, their property >and lives in the recent floods. > >Commander of the military zone, Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Tan highlighted >the undaunted tradition of the military zone in the two resistance wars >against foreign invaders and achievements recorded in building up forces. > > >------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >- > >Vietnam, China to boost co-operation > > > >Deputy PM Nguyen Manh Cam (right) receives >Deputy Governor of Yunnan Shao Qiwei. > >Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Manh Cam told a visiting official from Yunnan, >China, that further development of co-operation with the province would help >boost the current good ties between the Parties, States and peoples of China >and Vietnam. >Mr Cam expressed his confidence at a reception held on December 21 in honour >of Deputy Governor of Yunnan Shao Qiwei that Yunnan had the potential and >favourable conditions to expand multi-faceted relations with Vietnam. > >Mr Shao Qiwei expressed his delight at his first visit to Vietnam where he had >seen impressive achievements and briefed the deputy prime minister of his >meetings with officials from the Vietnamese ministries, agencies and >localities. > >He said that he and relevant Vietnamese offices had discussed steps to further >promote economic relations, particularly in trade, transportation and tourism. > > >Mr Shao, who is making a working visit, said that cross-border trade between >Yunnan and Vietnam recorded a 30% increase, and transported goods totalled >440,000 tonnes this year against 240,000 tonnes in 1998. (VNA) > > >------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >- > >Foreign Ministry rejects misrepresentation > >Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Phan Thuy Thanh, on December 21, flatly rejected >misrepresentations relating to the Hoa Hao Buddhist sect in southern An Giang >province. >Mr Thanh was answering questions from foreign correspondents who suggested >that the general secretary of the Hoa Hao Buddhist sect, Ha Hai, was in >serious ill health after 32 days of a hunger strike; that the Vietnam >government had prohibited celebration of Huynh Phu So's birthday on December >20; and that the police had used force to dissolve a demonstration during the >celebrations, causing one death. > >The spokeswoman said: "Competent An Giang province agencies had reported that >the information was a complete distortion of the facts." > >"Ha Hai is enjoying normal health," she said. > >"The People's Committee of An Giang province had received a request from the >Representative Committee of the Hoa Hao Buddhist sect to allow a ceremony to >celebrate Huynh Phu So's 81st birthday. > >The People's Committee had, on December 14, issued a decision permitting the >Representative Committee to hold the ceremony." 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