He said the talks took place at a time when bilateral relations are progressing in various areas, particularly after the US visit last year by Prime Minister Phan Van Khai.
“During the talks, we highlighted the implementation of policies on human rights and religious freedom in Vietnam,” said Mr Dzung. “The two sides exchanged views on their policies, and Vietnam requested the US to remove Vietnam from the list of “countries of particular concern” regarding religious freedom.”
Dialogues on human rights between the two countries were initiated by the US in 1993. In 2002, the US halted the dialogues and last year it proposed the resumption of talks again.
At the press briefing on the results of the 11th round of talks in Hanoi recently, US Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Barry Lowenkron said that the Vietnamese Government is ready to conduct dialogues on religious issues with the US. The two sides saw opportunities to realise the aspirations of the two countries’ leaders to heighten bilateral ties.
Also at the press briefing in Hanoi on February 23, Mr Dzung said that a Special Vietnamese Envoy has flown to Europe to persuade the European Commission not to impose anti-dumping duties on Vietnamese leather-capped shoes exported to this huge market. The imposition of anti-dumping duties will not only cause harm to the operations of Vietnamese shoemakers, but also affect European consumers’ interests, as well as European retailers.
The European Commission will come up with the final decision at its March 9 meeting.
Vietnam and the US have reached a high consensus on human rights and religious freedom issues at the recent 11th round of talks on human rights in Hanoi, which helped promote mutual understanding and narrow existing differences. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Dzung told media workers at a regular press briefing in Hanoi on February 23.
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