NA Standing Committee to approve working programme for 2010; Italy wants to expand cooperative ties with Vietnam; Festival promotes Vietnam-India friendship; NA Chairman calls for global support in fight against AIDS

The National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee will approve its working programme, external relations, and international co-operation activities for 2010 at its upcoming 26th session on December 15.

At the meeting, the NA Law Committee will report results of implementing the resolution on issuance of legally binding documents by the Government, ministries, the people’s supreme court and the people’s supreme procuracy.

The NA Standing Committee will give opinions on the allocation of Government bonds in 2010, management and use of the State budget for NA activities in 2009, and facilities for the operation of the NA, and its agencies, the NA Standing Committee’s agencies, and the NA office.

Results of the 6th meeting and preparation for the 12th NA’s 7th meeting will also be discussed at the meeting.

The NA Standing Committee will continue giving opinions on the drafting of the Law on the State Bank of Vietnam (reformed), the Law on Credit Institutions (reformed), the Law on House and Land Tax and the Law on Child Adoption. It will also consider a draft ordinance on seizing aircraft.

Italy wants to expand cooperative ties with Vietnam

Italy attaches great importance to promoting all-round cooperation with Vietnam – a country which has great potential for development, says Prime Minister Silvio Belusconi.

While receiving President Nguyen Minh Triet in Milan city on December 12, Mr Belusconi said that both countries have opportunities to increase cooperation and support each other, especially between their business communities.

He welcomed Mr Triet’s first State visit to Italy, which he said will help open up a new chapter in relations between the two countries. He said agreements reached during the visit are of great significance to the Italian business community.

Mr Belusconi held that although Italy is the 7th biggest economy in the world, its economic, trade and investment ties with Vietnam remain modest.

He said he will try his best to strengthen bilateral cooperation in culture, television broadcasting and sports to further introduce the image of Vietnam and Italy so as to promote mutual understanding between the two people.

President Triet thanked the Italian government and people for supporting Vietnam during the past struggle for national independence and unification, as well as during the current process of national construction and development.

He informed PM Belusconi on the result of his talks with President Giorgio Napolitano and confirmed that Italy is Vietnam’s important partner and that both sides have great potential for expanding cooperation in various areas such as economics, culture, education, training, science and technology.

He invited Italy to attend celebrations in 2010 to mark capital Hanoi’s 1,000th anniversary.

PM Belusconi said he will lobby AC Milan football club to visit Vietnam in 2010 and plan Vietnam visits for Italian businesses to explore cooperation opportunities in specific areas. He also affirmed that he will prepare for a Vietnam visit at the invitation of PM Nguyen Tan Dung.

The two leaders witnessed the signing of agreements on tourism cooperation and development cooperation between the governments of Vietnam and Italy.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Education and training and the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research also signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in scientific research and education.

Earlier, President Triet and PM Belusconi visited a relic site dedicated to President Ho Chi Minh in Milan city. The site, located on Pasubio street No. 10, was the place late President Ho Chi Minh used to live and work in 1903 when he came to meet the Communist International’s comrades and Italian friends.

In the evening, President Triet attended an art performance within the Vietnam Day programme in Milan.

Festival promotes Vietnam-India friendship

A festival of Vietnam-India is being held in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh with the aim of expanding cooperation and strengthening relations between the two countries.

This is the third festival to be hosted by the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO), the Vietnam-India Friendship Association, the All India Peace and Solidarity Organisation (AIPSO) and the India-Vietnam Friendship Association.

The five-day festival is a chance for Vietnam to introduce the Indian people to its socio-economic achievements and its intention to develop the close bond between the two nations, which will help increase bilateral cooperation in economics, investment and trade.

VUFO Vice Chairman Tran Dac Loi said that Vietnam and India have had a special relationship ever since former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Neru became the first foreign government leader to visit Hanoi and met with late President Ho Chi Minh after the capital had been liberated from the French colonial rule.

The solidarity and mutual support during both their struggles for national independence have kept the two countries closely connected, Mr Loi said, adding both people share the same belief in peace, justice and humanitarianism and both have to cope with challenges to security, climate change and financial issues.

During their visit, the Vietnamese delegation will also meet with representatives from various Indian political parties, take part in a workshop on Vietnam-India relations and attend a concert of traditional music.

NA Chairman calls for global support in fight against AIDS

National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong yesterday called for closer global co-operation in the fight against HIV/AIDS, saying it was no longer the problem of any single country.

Viet Nam was very concerned about the disease and has developed specific action plans to curb its spread, Trong said to international guests who attended the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)’s Asia Pacific symposium that ended in Ha Noi yesterday.

He said that despite the relentless efforts of all nations, 60 million people world-wide had been infected with HIV in the last three decades.

Hendrieta Bogopane- Zulu, South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Public Works and chairwoman of the IPU’s HIV/AIDS Consultants’ Group, acknowledged Viet Nam’s endeavours in recent years to limit the spread of the disease.

At the two-day symposium, organised by the Viet Nam National Assembly in co-ordination with the IPU, participants made several recommendations, including ensuring united support from all countries to handle the disease more effectively; making discrimination against people with HIV/ AIDS a legal issue; and providing patients with better access to medications.

Participants also agreed to enhance their parliamentary ties in order to exchange experiences in how to best support the HIV/AIDS fight in their roles as parliamentarians.

Gia Lai urged to focus on training ethnic minority officials

The Central Highlands province of Gia Lai should pay attention to training grassroots-level officials, especially ethnic minority ones, as they directly work with and bring the Party and State’s policies to the people.

Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh gave the instruction while working with the provincial leaders during his two-day working visit from December 11 to inspect the province’s implementation of the 10th Party Congress resolutions.

The Party leader also asked Gia Lai province to continue speeding up poverty reduction work in order to narrow the gap between rural and urban areas.

“To achieve the sustainable poverty reduction, the province must pay more attention to human resource training for socio-economic development and improve the people’s knowledge,” he said.

He stressed that protecting forests is the most important task of Gia Lai in particular and Central Highlands provinces in general. Therefore, the province must take effective measures to maintain the existing area of forests and study together with ministries and branches mechanisms and policies to attract the people’s participation in afforestation and forest protection, he added.

General Secretary Manh praised the province’s socio-economic achievements over the past four years with basic economic targets exceeding the set plan.

Its average GDP growth rate reached 13.69 percent, up 1.19 percent compared to the set plan, and per-capita income increased from 5.1 million VND in 2005 to 12.5 million VND in 2009. The poverty rate decreased from 29.82 percent in 2005 to 14.32 percent by the end of this year.

The province has focused on preserving and developing cultural values with its successful organization of the International Gong Festival in November this year. It has also attached importance to defense-security and Party building work.

On the occasion of the 65th founding anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Army (Dec. 22, 1944-2009), General Secretary Manh visited the Army Corps No. 3 (the Central Highlands Army Corps) and the Central and Central Highlands Police Regiment under the Ministry of Public Security.

Central Highlands urged to improve education

Kon Tum Province and other Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) provinces should focus on improving people’s general knowledge and training human resources, Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh said yesterday.

Manh, who was speaking at a meeting with Kon Tum Province authorities on a tour of the Central Highlands, said hill provinces should develop education and attract talented people to work.

He also said they should plan to train young people from ethnic minorities to prepare for leadership roles within five to 10 years.

Manh praised the efforts of the provincial Party Committee, authorities and residents in maintaining relatively high economic growth, restructuring business to cater to new opportunities, and increasing investment in transport and irrigation systems.

He also applauded improvements in school infrastructure and living standards.

The Party leader suggested that Kon Tum Province develop its strong agricultural industries, including rubber trees, pharmaceutical trees and plants, animal breeding and re-afforestation.

He said sustainable development went together with environmental protection and told local authorities to strictly manage forested areas.

Manh said the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development should provide proper research to enable local residents to make a good living from planting trees.

And he called on provincial authority to develop policies to encourage domestic and foreign investors to invest, particularly in “green” development and in areas struggling economically.

Manh said the province should co-operate with ministries and sectors to properly compensate residents for land forcibly acquired and to find them adequate new homes.

The General Secretary visited poor families in Ho Moong Commune in Sa Thay District. He suggested they apply new farming methods and plant trees and crops of high economic value. At present, there are 1,588ha of agricultural forests in the province.

From 2006 to 2009, Kon Tum Province grew by 13 to 14 per cent a year. About 20 per cent of development is in industry and construction. Average income rose from VND6 million (US$330) a year in 2006 to VND11.2 million ($580) this year. Exports are expected to reach $62 million.

The province has attracted 164 investment projects with the total registered capital of VND4.5 trillion ($230 million).

PV