Socialist Republic of Vietnam

US Congressman Robert Simmons, on his first trip to Viet Nam since he served in the American war, told the Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper he would probably change his vote on the Viet Nam Human Rights Bill. Exceprts from his interview:

"Some of my colleagues who have an interest in human rights will, from time to time, introduce a bill that deals with that issue, maybe dealing with this country, maybe dealing with another country.

My own personal opinion is that there has been great progress in human rights in Viet Nam. In my visit here already, we have had very cordial and productive meetings on the recovery of missing American soldiers. In my case, we are here to look for the crash site of Captain Holmes, who is from my district in America.

Everybody I have talked to - Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy Nien, Lieutenant General Nguyen Huy Hieu, has been so co-operative and so helpful.

Is not this a humanitarian issue? I think so! And so the message I will take back to my colleagues in America is: we are making great progress. Let's be careful not to interrupt that progress.

If this bill comes up again, maybe I will have a different opinion because I have been to Viet Nam, I have talked to people, to officials here, and I have changed my mind, based on my experience.

That is why these kinds of co-operation are so important. When I go back to the States, I will talk to my colleagues about these issues.

I also invited Minister Nien to come to the United States, to Washington DC, and I will gather a group of people to meet with him to talk about this issue.

We are trying hard to normalize relations. The giant recovery of soldiers, both American soldiers and Vietnamese, is one way to normalize relations.

Another way is through bilateral trade. Another way is through tourism, to have Americans come here, to have Vietnamese go to America.

Another way is through education. My wife was a teacher. Yesterday she went to a school in Hanoi to meet with the children, to discuss her school in America and this school here, and to exchange letters.

And as these relationships become more normal, and then we have deeper conversations. So of course, some things, like freedom of the press, come up in conversation. This is not because we are enemies; this is because we are friends. The human rights resolution is not a law and it has no binding force. It has no power to affect anything. It's just a statement.

But maybe, if my colleagues understand that this kind of resolution can damage the normalization of relations, maybe we need to think about it more carefully; maybe it's not such a good idea.

Freedom of information debate

In the case of some of these representatives, they have a Vietnamese population, perhaps associated with the previous government, the Republic of South Viet Nam. They have a different view, and when they talk to their representative, that representative has some obligation to represent their point of view.

So that's why we look to see who the sponsors are. But I don't see my name there. And you see, as more people like me come to Viet Nam, and as we have more co-operation and normalization of relations, we will have better understanding on both sides, and that's a good thing.

I don't think they know the full impact of this. That's why it's a good idea to have more members of Congress come to visit Viet Nam, to Hanoi, travel around, and get to know the people.

Go to a school. Visit the countryside. Talk to officials, and learn from that experience.

Now, I am a Viet Nam veteran, OK, but the war is over. It is time for us to move beyond the past and to build bridges for the future. That's the message I bring with my visit and that is certainly the attitude of many American people. I think that the majority in the Senate wants to make this resolution die. In the Senate you have Senator McCain, Senator Kerry, and Senator Hegel. You have senators who are Viet Nam veterans who have come back for a visit, who understand that maybe this legislation may do harm to relations. In the Senate, one senator can stop a bill, so you see; this resolution was passed in the House but not in the Senate, so now it's nothing.

Now, Mr. Smith has reintroduced this resolution. What's going to happen this time? That's what we need to focus on.

I will speak to Mr. Smith about it. I will probably vote against it. But even so, even if it goes through the House of Representatives, it still has to go through the, Senate, so maybe the same thing will happen in the Senate. " (VNS)