Socialist Republic of Vietnam

1/ Vietnam welcomes the U.S. House of Representatives' support for the President's decision to renew the Jackson-Vanik waiver for Vietnam.

By a 338-91 vote in Washington on July 23, 2002, the US House of Representatives voted for the fifth consecutive year to waive the Jackson-Vanik amendment for Vietnam.

Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Phan Thuy Thanh in Hanoi on July 24 welcomes that outcome: "Vietnam welcomes the US House of Representatives' support for President George W Bush's decision to renew the Jackson-Vanik waiver for Vietnam as a step in the right direction".

She also said: "Under the context of the effective implementation of the Vietnam-US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), the US should look to terminate the Jackson-Vanik amendment at some point in the near future" because "it is not commensurate with the spirit of the BTA and poses no benefits to either Vietnam or the US."

2) The President