Newly-elected General Secretary meets with press



Ha Noi, April 22 (VNA) -- Newly-elected General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV) Nong Duc Manh met with the press in Ha Noi this afternoon, Apr. 22, right after the closing session the ninth National Party Congress.

He told nearly 500 Vietnamese and foreign media workers that the CPV has attached importance to the role of the press. Viet Nam's press has actively contributed to accelerating the process of renovation, developing the country, raising people's knowledge and expanding democracy and making social atmosphere wealthy. The Vietnamese press has been disseminating the Party and State's policies while serving as a reliable forum of the people. In particular, the press has made great contributions to the success of the ninth Party Congress, the Party leader stressed.

After briefing pressmen about the contents and outcome of the Congress, General Secretary Manh expressed thanks to mass media workers for their timely reporting during and before the Congress.

He also expressed thanks to foreign news agencies and press for their true information about Viet Nam, thus contributing to helping people in other countries better understand Vietnamese land, people and Party.

General Secretary Manh said he hoped that international journalists would make more contributions to consolidating and developing the friendship and cooperation for mutual benefit between Viet Nam and other countries worldwide for peace, independence, development cooperation and social progress.

The newly-elected General Secretary also answered Vietnamese and foreign reporters' questions on what should be done immediately after the congress, Party building and Viet Nam's foreign policy in the future.

General Secretary Nong Duc Manh said right after the congress, the Party Central Committee would devise detailed plans for implementation of the Resolution passed by the congress, with a focus on economic development and Party building.

The General Secretary stressed that more effective measures should be taken to fight bureaucracy, corruption and other negative phenomena in accordance with the Resolution of the Party Central Committee's sixth plenum (second phase). The congress had discussed and made clear measures and steps to better carry out the resolution. Manh said after a year of implementing the resolution, initial results had been obtained. In the near future, Viet Nam had to continue reforming its administrative apparatus, making it well-organized, transparent, strong and effective. He emphasized that this should be done regularly and persistently.

Regarding Viet Nam's foreign policy, the General Secretary said Viet Nam has always followed its constant foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralization of external relations. Viet Nam wants to be a reliable friend and partner with all countries the world over to strive for peace, independence, democracy and development, on the basis of respect for each other's independence and sovereignty, equality and mututal benefits and non-intervention of each other's internal affairs.

In this spirit, Viet Nam will continue expanding its relations with all countries in the world, regardless of political systems, with priority given to neighbouring, traditional, regional and socialist countries, he stressed.

General Secretary Manh concluded his press conference by stressing President Ho Chi Minh's teaching of "unity, unity and great unity", regarding it as a decisive factor to every success.--VNA