 |
Past Not to be Forgotten Nor Changed: Le Kha Phieu
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Le Kha Phieu said he agreed with the US President Bill Clinton 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.
Phieu made the remarks Saturday afternoon in Honoi while meeting with US President Bill Clinton, who is on a four-day official visit to Vietnam.
Phieu said Vietnam waged the resistance war to end the country' s occupation by imperialists. The resistance war had brought the Vietnamese people national independence and reunification to advance the country toward socialism.
Nevertheless, the recent war had heavy consequences for the people and country, Phieu said. It was important, therefore, that responsible people should prevent the past from recurring.
In regard to Doi Moi (renovation), the Vietnamese Party leader said the process was aimed at furthering national independence and socialism.
He made it clear that Vietnam has room for a private economy, but is not privatizing the economy.
In regard to external policies, the Party General Secretary reaffirmed Vietnam's policy of being a friend of all nations for peace, independence, friendship and development, equal cooperation and mutual interest.
He stressed that Vietnam pursued an external policy of independence, self-determination, and diverse and multilateral ties. He cited the signing of the Vietnam-US Trade Agreement as a proof of the policy.
Phieu expressed his hope that the relations between the two countries would further develop without any repeat of the past.
During the meeting, Clinton said he held that the two countries ' relations had seen positive development over the past eight years and that the normalization process was nearly complete.
The US President said the US had provided and would continue providing information to help in the search for Vietnamese soldiers who died in the war.
He expressed the desire to further strengthen mutual understanding and cooperation with the aim of boosting relations between the two countries. He hoped for early ratification of the US-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement in order to facilitate the two countries' economic and commercial ties.
The US President reaffirmed that the US would continue seeking to heal the wounds of war.
Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton and his delegation left here Saturday evening for Ho Chi Minh City to continue their official visit to Vietnam.
In This Section
|