VNA ASEAN deputy foreign ministers meetDeputy Foreign Minister Le Cong Phung joined Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretary General Rodolfo C Severino and 10 ASEAN-member delegations at the ASEAN deputy-ministerial meeting that opened in Ho Chi Minh City on March 15. Participants reviewed ASEAN activities, discussed international and regional issues and principles for conduct in the East Sea. The meeting is to prepare for the seventh ASEAN Summit, the 34th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting and the ASEAN Regional Forum. (VNA) *** UNICEF pledges US $13.8 million for safe waterThe United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) will provide about US $13.8 million to help supply safe water to rural Vietnam between now and 2005. The money is pledged in a document signed in Hanoi on March 16 by Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Le Huy Ngo and UNICEF Hanoi Office Director Morten Giersing. About two million people in 66 districts of 24 provinces will benefit from projects partially financed by the money. Almost 42% of Vietnam's rural population now have access to safe water. (VNA) **** Russian naval ships end visit Crew members of the two Russian naval ships named ŒAdmiral Vinogradov¹ and ŒAdmiral Panteleev,¹ led by deputy commander of the Asia-Pacific Fleet Vice Admiral A V Konev left Nha Rong port yesterday, successfully concluding a five-day friendship visit to Ho Chi Minh City. While in the city, Vice Admiral Konev, the captain and other crew of the ships laid a wreath at the Ho Chi Minh Monument and paid courtesy visits to the Municipal People¹s Committee leaders and the Command of the Military Zone No 7. The delegation was also received by the naval deputy commander, Colonel Tran Quang Khue. They also called on several cultural and historical establishments and joined friendly cultural and sport activities with the People¹s Armed Forces in the city. **** India-Vietnam Friendship Association praisedVietnamese Ambassador to India Pham Sy Tam has praised activities of the India-Vietnam Friendship Association and expressed his belief that the association help strengthen friendship and co-operation between the two countries. He was speaking at a get-together held in Indian capital New Delhi on March 14 by the Vietnamese Embassy to honour the India-Vietnam Friendship Association. The get-together were attended by secretary general of the Communist Party of India, A B Badhan; secretary general of the Revolutionary Socialist Party of India, L Pankajasan; deputy head of the Bharatya Janata Party's International Committee, NN Jaya, and others. Addressing the meeting, general secretary of the association, P Sen Gupta highlighted the traditional friendship between the two countries and reiterated that his organisation would do its best to develop the traditional ties in the new period. (VNA) **** Young people's health project launched A project has been launched to reduce the rate of underage pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS disease. The project entitled 'building behaviour to educate on reproductive health for adolescents and HIV/AIDS prevention among young people was signed between the Youth Union Central Committee's Centre for Population, Health and Environment Education and the International Population and Development Organisation (PDI) in Hanoi on March 16. In the immediate future, the project will be deployed in Thanh Hoa and Nghe An over two years. The project will include the training of 1,000 young people for 'behavior group' with knowledge on reproductive health, HIV/AIDS prevention, gender equality, household economic development, techniques to protect health for individuals, family and community etc. The project will be capitalised at US $ 200,000. _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
