Int’l community hails Vietnam’s contribution as UNSC President; Vietnam, India boost cooperation in national defense; Vietnam supports UN call for compliance with int’l law

Pham Vinh Quang, Deputy Head of the International Organisation Department of the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry, said on November 5 that member and non-member countries of the UNSC have recognised Vietnam’s contributions, saying the country has done an excellent job for the second time. Many of them praised Vietnam’s initiative to hold an open discussion on women, peace and security.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem successfully chaired the event, which focused on assistance to women and girls in the post-conflict period, the first of its kind ever held by the UNSC.

The event, attended by the UN Deputy Secretary General and 60 representatives of nations and international organisations, aimed to protect those worst hit by conflicts.
State President Nguyen Minh Triet’s important speeches delivered at the UNSC summit and the high-level debate of the UN General Assembly contributed to the success of Vietnam’s presidency in October.

The UNSC October agenda was burdensome, dealing with 22 topics, passing five resolutions, three Presidential Statements and five press statements. It was the month the UNSC passed the largest number of documents since early 2009 and many of these topics were raised by Vietnam in its capacity as the Council President, Mr Quang said.

The UNSC dealt with a series of issues, namely the situation in Somali, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, Ivory Coast, Sudan, Kosovo, Haiti, Timor-Leste, Lebanon and Iraq. In its capacity as UNSC President, Vietnam successfully chaired all relevant meetings in an objective way and with high sense of responsibility and patient consultancy.

As a result, the UNSC managed to reconcile different viewpoints and reasonably meet the legitimate demands of relevant parties, thus building a consensus to support a final solution, Mr Quang concluded.

Accelerating poverty reduction for disaster victims

Local authorities and Party members must help people to overcome the consequences of disasters quickly, Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh said at a meeting with leaders and flood victims of the south-central coastal province of Khanh Hoa on November 7.

Khanh Hoa province reported that the Mirinae storm killed 13 people and injured 9. Many places were submerged, especially in Ninh Hoa and Dien Khanh districts, and Nha Trang City were flooded to a level of 0.5 to 2m. Around 77 ships and more than 6,330 cages of shrimp were sunk. The provincial leaders have directed localities to mobilise resources to overcome the consequences of the storm and provide aid to the families of the dead and injured.

Mr Manh praised Khanh Hoa province’s effort to cope with the storm and to minimise losses. He hailed solidarity and coordination among local authorities, people and the armed forces in the fight against the storm. The most important thing now is to help people stabilise their lives and resume production. The State will provide aid to damaged provinces but they must use the funds effectively, Mr Manh asked.

Party leader Manh pointed out that the province should pay attention to long-term measures, such as zoning, protecting and developing watershed forests, evacuating citizens to safe places and measures to adapt to climate change. He urged the province to monitor the building of hydro-electricity plants and irrigation projects on rivers in the central region to improve their economic efficiency and help prevent floods.

Mr Manh said many people are likely to fall into poverty again so the province must pay more attention to poverty reduction programmes based on State support and devise measures to help aquaculture breeders.

Mr Manh also asked Khanh Hoa province to practise thrift to promote the efficient use of capital, protect the environment and ensure sustainable development.

Party leader inspects post-storm cleanup efforts in Phu Yen

Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh on November 6 inspected rescue work in the south-central province of Phu Yen which was severely ravaged by recent tropical storm Marinae.

Phu Yen was the hardest hit province in the south-central region, with 72 people confirmed dead, 11 missing and 31 injured. The storm damaged 15,000 houses and caused water levels in the local river to rise quickly, flooding a large area in the province.

Rescue forces, including soldiers, police and young volunteers, are searching for the missing and helping people clean up the environment.

Mr Manh made a fact-finding tour of flooded Song Cau town and Tuy An and Dong Xuan districts, which bore the brunt of the storm. He expressed sympathy and presented gifts to families whose relatives lost their lives during the storm.

The Party leader asked sectors and localities to be well prepared for further erratic weather, including floods and storms, to safeguard people’s lives and public works.

He expressed his hope that the provincial Party committee, administration and public will join hands to overcome the aftermath of the storm and resume production as soon as possible.

The government recently decided to provide VND100 billion and 4,000 tonnes of rice in emergency aid to Phu Yen to help repair damaged works and stabilise the lives of people affected by the storm.

Vietnam, India boost cooperation in national defense

A high-ranking Vietnamese military delegation led by Minister of Defense General Phung Quang Thanh on November 5 began an official visit to India at the invitation of Indian Defence Minister A.K Antony.

The four-day visit is aimed at promoting cooperation within the framework of the Strategic Partnership Agreement signed by India and Vietnam in 2007.

At the reception, Mr. Antony praised the close relationship established by Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh and Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. He also expressed satisfaction with the growth of cooperation in national defense and pledged India’s effort to increase it.

General Thanh expressed his thanks for Indian army support to Vietnam and his hope that cooperative relations will continue to develop. He hoped to have India’s assistance in training military officers.

After the meeting, the two ministers signed a memorandum of understanding for defense cooperation.

On the same day, General Thanh met with India’s Minister of External Affairs S.M Krishna, discussed cooperation efforts with three Indian commanders, laid a wreath to honour anonymous martyrs at the India Gate, visited spiritual leader Mahatma Gandhi at the Raj Ghat memorial, and visited the Vietnamese Embassy in India.

Vietnam calls for national reconciliation in Guinea Bissau

A Vietnamese representative at the UN Security Council has called on “all parties in Guinea Bissau to accord utmost priorities to national interest.

At the council’s meeting in New York on November 5, Ambassador Le Luong Minh said that all parties in the African nation should “foster dialogue and reconciliation, and jointly shoulder the national agenda of peace, security and socio-economic development”.

He voiced support for the role being played by the UN, including the Peace-building Commission, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the AU, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the international community at large to support Guinea Bissau in overcoming the current difficulties and maximising its potential in the process of peace-building, reconciliation and integration.

“We commend the efforts of the UN agencies to ensure a smooth transition process from UN Peace-building support office in Guinea-Bissau (UNOGBIS) and effect the establishment of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOBGIS) in accordance with Security Council Resolution 1876 (2009)”.

“We are confident that the future work of the UN system in Guinea Bissau will be optimally defined and strengthened on the basis of the local conditions and the close consultations with the Government of Guinea Bissau and other regional stakeholders, with due respect for the political independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Guinea,” he concluded.

The UNSC meeting passed a Presidential Statement, welcoming the success of recent presidential elections in Guinea Bissau and highlighting challenges, such as drug-related and organised crimes. The statement also supports the process of establishing the UNIOGBIS from January 1, 2010 in an effort to contribute to Guinea Bissau’s reconstruction and development.

Vietnam supports UN call for compliance with int’l law

Vietnam supports the United Nations report’s calls for compliance with international law as part of efforts to avoid the recurrence of reprehensible violations and contribute to efforts aimed at a peaceful settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“We support the Report’s calls for respect for and compliance with international law, including international humanitarian and human rights law, and its emphasis on the need to end impunity and establish justice and responsibility through accountability mechanisms,” said Ambassador Bui The Giang, Deputy Permanent Representative of Vietnam at the Plenary of the UN General Assembly to discuss the “Report of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission” (the Goldstone Report) on November 4.

Mr Giang welcomed the timely issuance of the report, the related investigations, and the ensuing decision by the Human Rights Council to transmit a resolution and the Goldstone Report to the 64th Session of the General Assembly.

“In this regard, we commend the great efforts by the Fact-Finding Mission, under difficult circumstances, particularly in the absence of Israel’s cooperation, to gather the testimony of witnesses and establish facts to ensure the balanced, comprehensive and objective nature of the report and its recommendations,” he said.

The ambassador shared concerns in the report dealing with Israeli failure to take precautious measures required by international law to avoid or minimize loss of civilian life, injury to civilians and damage to civilian property and that the rocket and mortar attacks were a cause of threat to southern Israeli communities.

He called on the parties concerned to renounce the use of force and acts of violence, and take necessary steps to ensure the utmost safety and security for civilians, diplomatic and United Nations premises and personnel as well as humanitarian workers.

“Good-faith dialogues and peaceful negotiations remain the only viable framework to help the parties put aside military options and overcome confrontation,” he said.

The ambassador urged Israel to respond to the international community’s appeals by freezing its illegal activities related to settlements and the Separation Wall, opening all crossing points into Gaza and ensuring the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance and construction materials therein.

He also urged the Palestinian factions to proceed with efforts for reconciliation and formation of a national unity Government in the interest of future statehood and the Middle East peace process as a whole.

The ambassador said Vietnam reaffirms its steadfast support to the achievement of the two-State solution and stands ready to further contribute to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East on the basis of the Road Map, the Arab Peace Initiative, the Madrid terms of reference, and relevant Security Council Resolutions, including Resolution 1850 (2008) and 1860 (2009).

PV