US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she has to cancel her scheduled visits to Vietnam, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea due to the complicated situation in the Middle East and will only attend the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF)in Malaysia.
Mrs Rice made the statement at an exclusive press briefing in Washington on July 21 for reporters from these countries.
In reply to questions raised by a Vietnam News Agency reporter about the current situation and the future relations between Vietnam and the US, Mrs Rice praised Vietnam’s achievements in economic reform as a favorable condition for her country to approve permanent normal trade relation (PNTR) status for the country.
She said she is pleased to witness the rapid and positive development of relations between the two countries which are looking a bright future and also expressed US concerns over issues relating to religion and human rights in Vietnam.
Mrs Rice is due to visit Israel on July 23 and then attend an international conference on the Middle East in Italy and an ARF conference in Malaysia.
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