VNA Leaders wish to develop strategic partnership with Russia Communist Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh, said on Friday that Vietnam will do all it can to preserve and develop its "strategic partnership" with Russia, particularly in the economic, commercial, cultural, scientific-technical, educational and training areas. Mr Manh made the remarks while receiving Russian Deputy Prime Minister V B Khristenko in Hanoi on January 18. Mr Khristenko has been on a visit to Vietnam to attend the eighth meeting of the Vietnam-Russia Inter-governmental Co-operation Committee, held in Hanoi earlier the same day. Mr Manh stressed "Vietnam attaches great importance to consolidating and strengthening long-standing friendship and comprehensive co-operation with Russia and other traditional friends." He also expressed the Vietnamese Party, government and people's gratitude towards the former Soviet Union and Russia now for their great support and assistance to Vietnam in the past struggles for national liberation and reunification, as well as in the current development of national construction and defence. Mr Khristenko, who is also chairman of the Russian section in the Vietnam-Russia Inter-government Committee for Economic, Commercial, Scientific and Technical Co-operation, briefed Mr Manh of the results of the concluded meeting of the joint committee, as well as the implementation of an inter-governmental agreement between the two countries in recent years. He also assured Vietnam's Party chief of Russia's determination to reinforce and promote its "strategic partnership" with Vietnam, and expressed his hope to welcome Party leader Nong Duc Manh on an official visit to Russia at the invitation of Russian President V Putin. Prime Minister Phan Van Khai also received the visiting Russian deputy prime minister. Prime Minister Khai said Vietnam regards Russia as a traditional friend and a time-honoured strategic partner. He pointed to the need to work out concrete measures to boost development of bilateral co-operative ties in conformity with the two countries' potential and for their mutual benefits. The Vietnamese prime minister highlighted the efficiencies of Vietnam-Russia co-operation in the oil, gas and energy industries. Russian Deputy Prime Minister V B Khristenko briefed Prime Minister Phan Van Khai on the results of the eighth session of the Vietnam-Russia Inter-governmental Co-operation Committee, including measures to further develop bilateral relations and preparations for the signing of an agreement on free trade between Russia and Vietnam, and the settlement of Vietnam's debts to Russia. The two sides also discussed how to support exports in a bid to increase bilateral trade, such as by applying preferential tax rates and helping experts in assessing the quality of commodities. In regard to strengthening bilateral co-operation in the energy and fuel sector, Deputy Prime Minister V B Khristenko said he hoped that Russian investors will have opportunities to take part in major projects in this field. He asked Prime Minister Phan Van Khai to convey a letter from Russian President V Putin to President Tran Duc Luong. For his part, Prime Minister Khai asked Deputy Prime Minister Khristenko to convey his best regards to Russian President V Putin and Prime Minister M Kasianov. (VNA) BACK TO TOP ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Officials will be subject to personnel rotation principle General Secretary Manh urges the Party's Organisation Board to regularly perfect its staff. The Politburo is to issue a resolution on the personnel rotation in a bid to create a new personnel source for the next Tenth National Party Congress and Party congresses of next tenures and at all levels. Therefore, General Secretary Nong Duc Manh asked all officials and Party members to absolutely follow the Party's decision on the personnel rotation and appointment. General Secretary Manh was speaking at a three-day National Conference on the Organisation and Personnel of the Party Consolidation Work which ended in Hanoi January 18. Party leader Manh said the personnel rotation was a positive and breakthrough solution aiming to perfecting comprehensively officials through work practice. On the implementation of the campaign on Party building and consolidation work, the Party leader pointed out several important measures, including the strengthening of the education on politics and virtue for cadres and Party members; the continuity of completing the legal and policy system; the boosting of the administrative reform; the application of the spirit of criticism and self-criticism into the Party's activities; and the strict implementation of regulations for Party members and settlement of burning issues. On the work to build up a staff contingent of the Party's Organisation Board and organisation boards at all levels, General Secretary Manh urged the Party's Organisation Board to regularly perfect its staff so that they can meet the demand in the new period. Chairman of the conference, Tran Dinh Hoan, who is Politburo member, secretary of the Party Central Committee and head of the Party's Organisation Board, on behalf of the participating delegates, promised to strictly observe the orders of the Party leader. He also acknowledged the delegates' valuable opinions on issues raised in the conference, which, he said, would contribute to bringing the Resolution of the Ninth Party Congress and other Party's resolutions into life. Earlier, delegates at the conference heard a report of the Party's Organisation Board delivered by its deputy head Pham Van Tho on the evaluation of its work last year and the orientation for Party building work on organisation and personnel this year. BACK TO TOP ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Anniversary of Vietnam - China diplomatic ties marked The Chinese ambassador to Vietnam, Qi Jianguo, on January 18, gave a reception to mark the 52nd anniversary of Vietnam-China diplomatic relations (January 18). Prominent among those present at the reception was Vu Khoan, secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and minister of trade. Chinese Ambassador Qi Jianguo noted that with the efforts made by both sides in recent years, relations between the two countries have seen new steps of development, with the planting of the first Vietnam-China land border marker on December 27, 2001 at the Mong Cai-Tonghsiang border gate, marking a land border line between the two countries that would be built as a border line of long-lasting peace, friendship and stability. Addressing the event, Mr Vu Khoan stressed the Vietnamese Party, government and people always treasure their traditional neighbourly friendship and comprehensive co-operation with China, regarding it as a consistent and long-term policy of great significance to the development cause in their respective countries. He further said that Vietnam welcomes the upcoming official visit to Vietnam by General Secretary of the Communist Party and President of China Jiang Zemin and believed that the visit will be a success, marking a new stage of development in the relations between the two Parties, States and peoples. * An article in Nhan Dan newspaper on January 18 called for closer co-operative relations between Vietnam and China, in favour of socialist construction in each country, as well as for regional and global peace and development. "In the current world situation, strengthening Sino-Vietnamese ties is more important than ever," said the article. It stressed "Sino-Vietnamese friendship has been cemented by the aspirations of both nations as well as the fundamental and durable interests of the Vietnamese and Chinese peoples." In retrospect, it said "In the recent decade (1991-2001), these relations had been restored and developed in all political, economic and cultural areas. In the meantime, many territorial and maritime issues left over from history were gradually resolved through peaceful talks." The article also recalled major landmarks in the relationship between the two neighbouring countries, including the exchange of high-level visits, during which both sides issued joint statements establishing fundamental principles for the political ties between them in the new millennium. At their bilateral summit meeting in Beijing during President Tran Duc Luong's visit in late 2000, Vietnam and China issued a statement on comprehensive bilateral co-operation in the new century, which is based on the principle of "friendly neighbourliness, comprehensive co-operation, long-lasting stability and future-oriented thinking" reached during a China visit by Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu in early 1999. The last decade also saw rapid development in Vietnam-China trade and economic ties, with two-way trade value rising from US $37.7 million in 1991 to over US $3 billion in 2001, the article emphasised. China has helped Vietnam in revamping and upgrading numerous economic projects such as the Thai Nguyen Metallurgy Plant and Bac Giang Nitrogenous Fertiliser Factory. The two neighbours have already signed an agreement on land border demarcation in late 1999, and an agreement on fisheries co-operation in the Bac Bo (Tonkin) Gulf in late 2000, as a result of peaceful negotiations. BACK TO TOP ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bulgarian PM speaks highly of relations with Vietnam Bulgarian Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg, affirmed that he highly regards the traditional friendly and co-operative relations between Bulgaria and Vietnam. He was speaking to Vietnamese Ambassador to Bulgaria Nguyen Van Dac on January 15. The Bulgarian prime minister also expressed his wish for further promotion of co-operative ties with Vietnam, especially in economics, commerce, culture and education which, he said, will create a firm foundation for taking bilateral relations to a new height. He spoke highly of Vietnam's achievements in recent years, and its role in stabilising and developing the Southeast Asian region. Ambassador Nguyen Van Dac thanked the Bulgarian prime minister and stressed that the Vietnamese Party and State have always followed a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance and multilateralisation of international relations, while continuing to consolidate and expand relations with their traditional friends, including Bulgaria. (VNA) BACK TO TOP ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cambodian PM offers relief to Vietnamese victims Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen has sent relief through the Cambodian Red Cross Association to 1,203 Vietnamese and Cambodian families, who are victims of two fires in Chomka Mon and Mien Chay districts of Phnom Penh, last November. In early December of 2001, vice chairman of the Cambodian Natural Disaster Control Committee, Nhim Vanda, empowered by Prime Minister Hun Sen, visited and delivered relief aid to 447 fire victims, who were then sent to Anglong K'ngan of Rusay district, about 28 kilometres north of Phnom Penh, where a total of 3,513 victim families are now residing. To date, about 2,200 of these families have been given land allotments to build new houses, the local administration said, adding that 25 classrooms were also built, with help from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), to accommodate 1,654 school pupils. (VNA) BACK TO TOP ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Human Rights Watch's remarks rejected Vietnam's foreign ministry spokeswoman Phan Thuy Thanh on Friday, January18, flatly rejected as "totally false and groundless" the remarks made by the US-based Human Rights Watch on January17, on the so-called retrogression in Vietnam's observance of human rights and freedom of belief. "Such moves only serve to tarnish the organisation's image," Ms Thanh said, when asked about Vietnam's reaction to these remarks by the Radio Voice of Vietnam's correspondent. The spokeswoman also accused the Human Rights Watch of frequently joining Overseas anti-Vietnam organisations to spread fabrications and slander against Vietnam. "A nation that has carried out a long and arduous struggle for the people's most fundamental rights - the right to live in independence and freedom, and the right to mastery of their own destiny - Vietnam will never fail to honour the people's most essential rights, including the freedom of speech, press, and belief and non-belief in religion," Ms Thanh stressed. "These rights are enshrined in Vietnam's Constitution, protected by law and reflected in reality," she said, adding that Vietnam has done all it can to perfect its legal system and build up a State governed by the rule of law, and guarantee human rights. "Nobody has been arrested or jailed in Vietnam on religious or political charges," Ms Thanh said, stressing "legal actions were being taken only against those who violated the laws of the nation." She made clear that Vietnam is a country with many different religions whose believers total more than 20 million or one-third of its population, and all of them live in peace, harmony and national unity. "Vietnam's Party and government have always upheld national unity as a strategic plank of their policy to mobilise people of all walks of life for economic development and national defence," the spokeswoman said. (VNA) BACK TO TOP ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Vietnam to give humanitarian aid to Afghanistan Vietnam's government will give US $300,000 worth of essential goods as humanitarian aid to the Afghan people, said Vietnam's foreign ministry spokeswoman Phan Thuy Thanh in a press release issued on January 18. Vietnam will also send a delegation to a ministerial meeting of donor countries to rebuild Afghanistan to be held in Tokyo, Japan, on January 21-22, Phan Thuy Thanh added. (VNA) _________________________________________________ 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] __________________________________________________
