Party general secretary receives U.S. president
HANOI - General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Le
Kha Phieu received U.S. President William Jefferson Clinton, who is on a four-day
official visit to Viet Nam, in Ha Noi this afternoon, Nov. 18.
Speaking to the General Secretary, President Clinton expressed thanks to the
Government and people of Viet Nam for their efforts in searching for U.S. servicemen
missing in action during the war, saying the U.S. Government and people were
concerned about this issue. He held that the two countries' relations had seen
positive development over the past eight years and that the normalisation process
was nearly complete.
The U.S. President said the U.S. had provided and would continue providing
information to help in the search for Vietnamese soldiers who died in the war.
He informed the Party leader of the contents of his talks with President Tran Duc
Luong and his meeting with Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, and expressed the desire
to further strengthen mutual understanding and cooperation with the aim of boosting
relations between the U.S. and Viet Nam. He hoped for early ratification of the
U.S.-Viet Nam Bilateral Trade Agreement in order to facilitate the two countries'
economic and commercial ties.
President Clinton expressed his pleasure at the fact that the two Governments had
agreed to conduct high-level dialogues on economic cooperation, and said he hoped
the dialogues would be conducted regularly to promote bilateral cooperation. He said
he was glad the U.S. had granted relief to flood victims in central and southern Viet
Nam and announced that the U.S. would together with the United Nations set up a
forecasting centre in central Viet Nam to help the country mitigate natural disasters.
The U.S. President reaffirmed that the U.S. would continue seeking to heal the
wounds of war. Describing the contents of his talks with President Tran Duc Luong
and his meeting with Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, President Clinton said both
sides had discussed in detail the U.S. plan to neutralise unexploded ordnance and
settle the Agent Orange issue. He shared the view with General Secretary Phieu that
the U.S. should take responsibility in settling the worldwide development gap, with
the latest action taken by the U.S. being its initiative to reduce debts for poor
countries and provide financial support to the fight against malaria, child tuberculosis
and HIV/AIDS.
Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu welcomed the visit by President W.J.
Clinton, his wife and delegation. He said he had been informed of the President's
talks with President Tran Duc Luong, his meeting with Prime Minister Phan Van Khai
and his talk at the Ha Noi National University. Phieu concluded that each country,
each nation had its own history, traditions and cultural identity, adding that Viet Nam
was proud of its thousands years of culture.
The Party leader said he agreed with the U.S. President that the past could not be
forgotten nor changed, and the question was to properly understand the nature of the
past and particularly the anti-aggression resistance war which the Vietnamese
people had to fight. Viet Nam waged the resistance war to end the country's
occupation by imperialists. But why did the U.S. forces invade Viet Nam which did
not seek invade the U.S. ?
The resistance wars had brought the Vietnamese people national independence
and reunification to advance the country toward socialism, the Party leader said, so
for the Vietnamese people the war was not ultimately a story of darkness, sadness
and unhappiness.
Nevertheless, the recent war had heavy consequences for the people and country
of Viet Nam, Phieu said. It was important, therefore, that responsible people should
prevent the past from recurring. To Viet Nam, the past is the roots, the ground and
the strength of the present and future.
General Secretary Phieu added that Viet Nam could not gain independence for the
divided country by peaceful means, and therefore had to take up arms to win back
independence. Viet Nam has long been one, the Vietnamese nation has long been
one, and the people in the U.S. and the world had supported its people's just
resistance struggle, Phieu said. Hence, both sides should learn from the past and
take responsibility for it.
In regard to Doi Moi, Party General Secretary Phieu said the process was aimed at
furthering national independence and socialism. He expressed thanks to the
international community for their cooperation and assistance.
"The Doi Moi goal is to achieve an independent, socialist-oriented economy. That is
a multi-sectoral economy where the State sector plays the key role," said the Party
leader.
He made it clear that Viet Nam has room for a private economy, but is not
privatizing the economy. Cooperatives have been re-organized, he said, not dissolved.
In the current economy, the State and cooperative sectors play a primary role. In
more than 30 years of war and 19 years under embargo, which had posed numerous
difficulties and challenges, socialism in Viet Nam had persisted and developed and
would certainly further develop, stressed the Party leader, adding that he made the
same statement during his visits to France, Italy and the European Union.
"The U.S. Secretary of State the other day asked me whether socialism would
continue to exist; I replied that socialism would not only exist but further develop,"
Phieu said.
In regard to external policies, the Party General Secretary reaffirmed Viet Nam's
policy of extending the hand of friendship to all nations the world over for peace,
independence, friendship and development, equal cooperation and mutual interest.
He stressed that Viet Nam pursued an external policy of independence,
self-determination, and diverse and multilateral ties. He cited the signing of the Viet
Nam-U.S. Trade Agreement as a proof of the policy. Also under the policy, Viet Nam
has established diplomatic relations with nearly 170 nations and commercial ties with
more than 150 countries. At the same time, the Communist Party of Viet Nam has
set up relations with more than 180 communist, left-wing and ruling parties. In the
current global environment, every government and every nation all need to expand
cooperation for mutual development.
"We respect the choice of lifestyle and political system by other nations. We, in
return, ask for other nations to respect our people's choices. The fact that nations
have different political systems does not prevent cooperation for mutual development,
if they know how to respect each other's national independence and sovereignty, and
not to intervene into the other's internal affairs," stressed the Party leader.
"It's certain that the 21st century will be defined by technology and science. But it
also means a larger gap between rich and poor nations. The total property possessed
by more than 300 billionaires the world over is equal to the incomes of more than 2
billion people in poor countries," said Phieu.
"The future of the Vietnamese nation is independence and socialism," stressed the
Party leader, adding that he hoped relations between the two countries would further
develop without any repeat of the past.
"Chelsea reminded me of Emily, daughter of Morison who had accompanied her
mother in a visit to Viet Nam. They made a very nice symbol of the friendship
between the two peoples," said Phieu.
Vietnamese News Agency - November 19, 2000.
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