US ambassador to continue Vietnam post in Bush administration
HANOI - U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam, Douglas Pete Peterson, will continue to serve as his government's
representative in Hanoi after President-elect George W. Bush takes over the White House Saturday, the U.S. embassy said
Wednesday.
In a faxed statement, it quoted Ambassador Peterson as saying "I am pleased to have been asked by the incoming Bush
administration to remain at my post in Vietnam for an indefinite period. I look forward to being able to continue my work to get
the Bilateral Trade Agreement ratified ... and to cooperate with the Vietnamese on its implementation."
Vietnam and the U.S. signed a trade agreement in July last year and are expected to ratify that agreement this year. The move
will greatly increase bilateral trade and will force Hanoi to begin a program of economic liberalization.
After a war that ended in 1975, the two countries renewed diplomatic ties in 1995 and Peterson arrived in Hanoi to serve as
the U.S.'s first postwar ambassador in 1997. He is widely viewed as the force behind the trade agreement and a major
advocate of closer bilateral cooperation.
Dow Jones - January 17, 2001.
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