Deputy Defence Minister welcomes US, Indonesian guests

Deputy Defence Minister Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh hosted W. M. Winfield, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Affairs, in Ha Noi yesterday.

At the meeting, Vinh stressed on the need to intensify the search for the remains of US servicemen who died during the war in Viet Nam, adding that Viet Nam has always considered it as one of the top priorities in their cooperation with the US.

He affirmed that cooperation in this issue is part of the humanitarian policy and goodwill of the Vietnamese Government and people, in helping to ease the pain of US families, whose members went missing during the war.


He also suggested that the US side continue to work together with Viet Nam to solve the consequences of the war, such as the disposal of bombs and mines and the detoxification of AO/dioxin in Viet Nam.

Winfield appreciated the valuable and efficient support of the Vietnamese Government, people and war veterans in the search and repatriation of the remains of US servicemen.

He also hoped that the Vietnamese Government and people will continue creating favourable conditions for the US and the joint task force to look for the remains.

On the same day, Vinh also received a delegation from the Indonesian National Armed Forces, who are here for the first meeting of the Viet Nam-Indonesia Group.

Vinh said both sides should continue to implement the bilateral MOU on defence cooperation while improving sharing of experience and joint exercises in search and rescue operations