>NA eighth session closes
>
>The eighth National Assembly session ended at 3:45pm on December 9, with the
>playing of the national anthem.
>
>The closing session was addressed by National Assembly Chairman Nong Duc Manh
>and attended by General Secretary of the Vietnam Communist Party Le Kha Phieu,
>advisor to the CPV Central Committee Do Muoi, President Tran Duc Luong and
>Prime Minister Phan Van Khai.
>
>Earlier, the assembly carried four resolutions: two dealing with education, a
>programme of legal work for 2001, and tasks for 2001.
>
>Resolutions for the renewal of the general education curriculum and measures
>make junior high school education universal sparked the stormiest debates.
>
>Twenty-seven deputies representing 20 provinces and cities put their views
>about them.
>
>The resolution dealing with the socio-economic tasks for 2001 says the economy
>should grow quickly, be sustainable and accord with socio-cultural
>development.
>
>It says greater efforts should be make to solve burning social issues such as
>employment generation, poverty alleviation and the reduction of social vices
>and traffic accidents.
>
>The efforts should include the development of education, accelerate the
>scientific-technological revolution and management restructuring.
>
>It calls for a focusing on the settling of voter petitions so as to ensure
>social order and political stability.
>
>The resolution says this will mean restructuring agriculture, strengthening
>co-operatives in accordance with the Co-operatives Law and removing obstacles
>to the working of State-owned enterprises.
>
>It says: "Experiences should be drawn from reviewing the process of
>equitisation, selling contracts and leasing part of the State-owned
>enterprises so as to do it better".
>
>The resolution also encourages the growth of various economic sectors,
>renovation in management and the more efficient use of investment as well as
>national financial sources, including banking reform in an effort to reduce
>deficits.
>
>It says: "Welfare policies towards ethnic minority people and highlanders
>should be well implemented in the interest of national defence and social
>stability."
>
>The resolution emphasises that administrative reform, crack-down on wasteful
>spending and corruption, and efforts to improve the quality of justice must be
>quickened if the State mechanism is to be perfected.
>
>The assembly passed an Insurance Business Law, the Law to Prevention and Fight
>Drugs and resolutions dealing with a draft state budget during its almost one
>month of sitting.
>
>Cultural Heritage and Fire Prevention and Five Fighting Bills were also
>discussed. (VNA)
****
>
>Military Zone 7 marks founding anniversary
>
>
>
>The Military Zone 7 held a meeting on December 10 to mark its 55th founding
>anniversary (December 10, 1945 - December 10, 2000).
>
>Established in the first days of the anti-French resistance war, under the
>leadership of the Party, the armed forces of the Military Zone have
>unceasingly developed, overcome many hardships and achieved glorious feats of
>arms, contributing to winning victory in the historic Ho Chi Minh campaign in
>1975 and bring about the South's liberation and the country's reunification.
>
>In the current process of national renovation, the armed forces of the
>Military Zone have also pooled all their efforts to build a strong, regular,
>crack and modern unit, to be absolutely loyal to the leadership of the Party
>and successfully carry out the two strategic tasks of socialist construction
>and national defence.
>
>Prominent among those attending the meeting were advisors to the Party Central
>Committee (PCC), Le Duc Anh and Vo Van Kiet, PCC former advisor Vo Chi Cong,
>Generals Vo Nguyen Giap and Mai Chi Tho, and Nguyen Minh Triet, Politburo
>member and Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee secretary.
>
>President Tran Duc Luong and Prime Minister Phan Van Khai sent flowers to
>congratulate the Military Zone.
****
>'Asian Women for a Peaceful Culture' conference closes
>
>The ‘Asian Women for a Peaceful Culture’ conference closed in Hanoi on
>December 9 after three working days, passing the Hanoi Declaration and the
>Asian Women’s Action Plan for a Peaceful Culture and Sustainable Development.
>
>The Hanoi Declaration affirms the remarkable achievements made by Asian and
>the world women in the past century as well as their efforts for gender
>equality, development and peace. It warns that wars and conflicts still exist,
>affecting the lives of women and children, social welfare and development.
>
>The declaration stresses the tasks to address issues of violence, hunger and
>poverty, injustice and social discrimination for the goals of human security
>and peaceful culture. It makes clear that education plays an essential role in
>development and peace building, that mass media occupy a significant position
>in promoting gender equality and preventing wars and conflicts, strengthening
>the participation of women in building a peaceful culture. It emphasised the
>role of women in hunger elimination and poverty reduction, economic,
>scientific and technological development, in addressing disputes, preventing
>violence and in reconciliation.
>
>The Asian Women’s Action Plan for a Peaceful Culture and Sustainable
>Development puts forward a framework for promoting women’s role and potential
>in building peace, fighting violence and developing sustainably in Asia.
>
>In her closing speech at the conference, Ms Ha Thi Khiet, chairwoman of the
>Vietnam Women’s Union, emphasised that Asian women, that account for half of
>the world women, bear a heavy and glorious responsibility in promoting the
>advancement on women in this planet and that Asian women are determined to
>turn the Hanoi Declaration and the Action Plan of Asian Women for a Peaceful
>Culture and Sustainable Development into reality in response to the
>International Decade of Peaceful and Non-violent Culture for World Children
>(2001-2010).
****
>
>Vietnam, Argentina sign culture deal
>
>Vietnam and Argentina have signed their first agreement for co-operation in
>culture and education.
>Signatories were Vietnam's Culture and Information Minister, Nguyen Khoa Diem,
>who visited Argentina from December 7-9, and the Argentine Secretary of State
>for Foreign Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade
>and Worship, Susana Ruiz Cerutti.
>
>The agreement provides for the two countries to co-operate in introducing the
>cultural values of each through the exchange of printed and broadcasting
>materials, art exhibitions, fine arts handicrafts and artistic performances.
>
>In education, the countries will facilitate the exchange of the latest
>information and documents about their education systems, co-operate in
>technology education and vocational training, provide post-graduate
>scholarships, exchange lecturers and ensure co-ordination between research
>institutes and universities.
>
>In Argentina, Mr Diem had working sessions with Under-Secretary of State in
>charge of culture and information of the Presidential Office Hugo Guillermo
>Storero, special representative for international cultural issues of the
>Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship Teresa de
>Anchorena, and Secretary of State in charge of tertiary education of the
>Ministry of Education Juan Carlos Gottifredi.
>
>Mr Diem also visited the Recoleta Cultural Centre, the National Institute of
>Technological Education, the National Historic Museum and the
>Argentina-Vietnam Institute of Culture. (VNA)
****
>OXFAM US helps reforestation in south
>
>The OXFAM US has granted VND 30 billion (US $2.1 million) for planting 2,000
>hectares of cajeput in the Plain of Reeds (Dong Thap Muoi) in the southern
>province of Tien Giang.
>In the first period of the project, local farmers will be granted funds to
>plant 120 hectares of cajeput with an investment of VND 8 million per
>hectares. At the same time, they will also benefit from a short-term credit
>programme to expand animal breeding, aquaculture and subsidiary food crops
>with an investment of VND 3 million per household.
>
>The new project will help local people to stabilise their life and improve the
>ecological system in the area. (VNA)
****
>Flooding causes losses in Ninh Thuan
>
>Torrential rains fell in Ninh Phuoc district, Ninh Thuan southern province
>from December 5 to 10, causing serious flooding on a large scale.
>
>According to the initial statistic, 4,500 hectares of rice crops and about 800
>hectares of grapes and vegetables were waterlogged, causing losses of about
>VND 15.5 billion.
>
>Downpours also pulled down and damaged 500 houses, causing an estimated loss
>of about VND 800 million. Six people were injured while carrying out rescue
>operations. Many parts of the inter-village and inter-communal communication
>routes were inundated and eroded. Dam and dyke systems were also heavily
>damaged.
>
>The total losses from the three floods that hit the district were put at more
>than VND 50 billion.
>
>The district's Steering Committee for Floods and Storms Control asked all
>relevant units in the district to strengthen inspection, rescue efforts and
>maintain a round-the-clock alert.
****
>Soft loans for flood victims
>
>The Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development in Vinh Long province will
>provide farmers with short and medium terms loans worth VND 60 billion to help
>them restore production after flooding.
>
>The money is to build dykes, buy farming machines and improve orchards. The
>Bank will also reschedule payment of debts for 43 households in flooded areas
>whose damages were more than 30%, with a total sum of about VND 227 million.
>
>The People's Committee of Nghe An province has allowed the Seedling Company to
>import 1,200 tonnes of hybrid rice seeds to provide for farmers in the coming
>winter-spring crops.
>
>In implementation of a policy to transplant 30,000 hectares of hybrid rice,
>the provincial People's Committee drew money from its budget to pay interest
>for bank loans for farmers who borrowed money to buy rice seeds and
>fertilisers.
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