Vietnam and U.S. discuss Agent Orange affects
HANOI - Vietnam and America are holding meetings this week to discuss ways to eradicate dioxin contamination from the
wartime use of Agent Orange defoliant. The three-day meetings in the capital city were the fruit of a landmark deal in March
2002 and come just ahead of a historic trip by Vietnam's defence minister to Washington.
Under last year's deal, the two countries agreed to conduct joint research on the defoliant used by American forces to deny
communist Vietnamese forces food and cover. Dioxin is the toxic component in Agent Orange, which has been blamed for
health problems including cancer and birth defects. Million of litres of the defoliant were sprayed over the country from 1962 to
1971 and some areas still have high levels of dioxin in the food chain.
"The workshop made excellent progress on the memorandum of understanding in the area of environmental monitoring,
remediation and site characterisation," a U.S. official told Reuters on Wednesday at the conclusion of the meetings. The issue
will be raised by Vietnam's defence minister, Pham Van Tra, during a trip to America on Saturday. Tra has said he won't seek
compensation but will urge America to take responsibility for the two million people Hanoi says are affected.
The visit will be the first by a Vietnam defence chief since the end of the war in 1975.
Reuters - November 5, 2003
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