Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Ha Noi, Sept.14 (VNA) -- A high-level meeting between the Viet Nam War Veterans Association (VWVA) and the Viet Nam Veterans of America (VVA) has been arranged in Ha Noi.

This was the 15th meeting between the two sides in seven years.

A VWVA delegation to the meeting was led by Lt.Gen. Vu Xuan Vinh, permanent executive member of the VVA Central Committee, and a VVA delegation, by VVA special advisor Bill Duker.

The two sides discussed ways and means to continue bilateral cooperation on the issue of servicemen from both sides still missing in action (MIA).

The U.S. side spoke highly of Viet Nam's effective support and help in the search for Americans missing in action and handed over to the Vietnamese side dossiers relating to Vietnamese soldiers missing in action during the war.

Vu Xuan Vinh appreciated the U.S. provision of new information on Vietnamese MIAs and made clear Viet Nam's efforts to continue its cooperation with the U.S side in the MIA issue in the humanitarian spirit. He also urged the U.S Government to pay more attention to solving the consequences of the Agent Orange sprayed in Viet Nam by the U.S. during the war.

Referring to the September 6 endorsement of the so-called Viet Nam Human Rights Act by the U.S House of Representatives, Vinh said the endorsement has triggered indignation among the Vietnamese people as well as war veterans as the Act has distorted and slandered the real situation in Viet Nam.--VNA