Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam remain invisible in the US media as Afghanistan continues to take center stage. But the quiet work of building—or, from some quarters, of turning back—closer US ties with these countries continues in Washington behind the scenes.
- Trade
Vietnam trade delegation coming to Washington. The highest-ranking and most comprehensive Vietnamese delegation in decades will visit Washington from December 9-11 as part of a US trip including stops in New York and San Francisco. The group is led by Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and includes the Ministers of Trade (Vu Khoan) and Planning & Investment (Tran Xuan Gia), 14 other senior trade officials and diplomats, and 62 Vietnamese business leaders. The delegation will meet with US Trade Representative Bob Zoellick, Commerce Secretary Don Evans, and World Bank officials in Washington, as well as promote trade opportunities in Vietnam during the course of the tour. According to Prof. Fred Brown, no comparable official Vietnamese delegation has come to the US since Ngo Dinh Diem addressed a joint session of Congress in 1955.
Several public events were scheduled during the delegation’s visit in Washington. DPM Dung was to speak at Johns Hopkins-SAIS on December 10. Also on Dec. 10, the US-Vietnam Trade Council was to host a conference and banquet at the Willard Hotel (http://www.usvtc.org)
In New York, a luncheon and business forum will be organized on December 12 by the Asia Society, AIG, and Credit Suisse First Boston with assistance from the Fund for Reconciliation and Development. On December 14, prior to returning to Vietnam, the delegation will meet with California Governor Gray Davis and representatives of Vietnamese and US business groups in San Francisco.
Vietnam’s National Assembly approves trade agreement. On November 28, the National Assembly in Hanoi voted by 278-85, with 17 abstentions, to ratify the US-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement. Although the result was expected, debate and the opposing votes reportedly came largely from NA members who felt that the US was acting hypocritically on promotion of human rights.
Trade Minister Vu Khoan told a press conference: "With this event, the relations between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the United States of America have come closer to full normalization. On its part, Vietnam is willing to develop an equal and mutually beneficial cooperation with the US on the basis of respect for independence, sovereignty and non-interference in each other's internal affairs."
Lao trade agreement not included in Trade Promotion Authority bill. President Bush listed the US-Lao Bilateral Trade Agreement as part of his overall trade agenda in June. The Lao agreement was signed in 1998, but no action has been taken on it since then. Key members of Congress such as Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) and Rep. Phil Crane (R-IL) planned to bundle the agreement together with other trade issues, including the controversial Trade Promotion Authority or "fast-track".
Following the September 11 attacks, however, the administration decided to focus solely on TPA, leaving the Lao agreement out. According to a State Department source, the well-organized opposition to Lao BTA among conservative Hmong-American groups also played a role in the decision. TPA is scheduled for a vote in the House on December 6, and its passage is uncertain.
ACTION: The Fund for Reconciliation and Development, in coordination with moderate Lao-American groups and US NGOs working in Laos, plans educational work on the Lao BTA again in the next Congressional session. To join in this effort, please contact Andrew Wells-Dang at frdwash@mindspring.com.
Catfish update. The debate over Vietnamese basa catfish imports to the US continued in November, as Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS) added an amendment to the Agricultural Appropriations Bill limiting marketing use of the word "catfish" to one species of fish. Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Tam Chien sent letters to members of Congress asking them to reconsider. A compromise may yet be reached, but the dispute has ruffled fins in both Washington and Hanoi.
- Human Rights
"Viet Nam Human Rights Act" not voted on in Senate. With the Senate’s Democratic leadership unwilling to bring the Viet Nam Human Rights Act (H.R. 2833) to a vote on the floor, the bill is effectively tabled for this legislative session. The many NGOs and individuals in the US and Vietnam who mobilized against the bill deserve credit for this result. However, supporters of sanctions against Vietnam will certainly reintroduce another version of the act next year.
After initial hesitation, the State Department and Bush administration also came out against passage of the bill. In a November 30 meeting with NGOs and businesses (see below), new US Ambassador to Vietnam Ray Burghardt termed the Human Rights Act "a lousy piece of legislation" and noted that while human rights issues have worsened Vietnam’s reputation, they are best dealt with in the context of developing a more open and transparent society, economy and legal system.
Opponents of US-Lao relations meet on Capitol Hill. On November 20-21, the so-called "US Congressional Forum on Laos" held the ninth in its series of closed-door meetings on US policy towards Laos. The Forum, which has no official ties to Congress, is coordinated by Philip Smith, Washington lobbyist for the Lao Veterans of America and former Gen. Vang Pao. Attempts by independent observers to attend the meeting were refused by Smith.
In a characteristic November 8 press release, Smith stated, "Lao and Hmong-Americans from across the United States…support freedom and democracy in Laos and around the globe. We will simply not…allow these terrorists in Afghanistan to help the brutal Pathet Lao Communist regime in Laos remain in power by military force with the sham elections that they hope to force upon the poor people of Laos next year."
For another observer’s take on the "Forum," see www.lan-xang.com/edit/20010627.html. The "Forum" lists December 12-13 as its next scheduled meeting and gives a phone contact number of (202) 543-1444.
Commission on International Religious Freedom plans visit to Laos. Members of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) have been planning a fact-finding trip to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. Lao authorities have given their approval for several commissioners to visit. Given that the Commission has vigorously criticized Laotian religious policy, a face-to-face meeting should allow Lao authorities a chance to answer some of these concerns in a way that has not been possible up to now. Originally scheduled for November, the Commission’s visit has now been postponed until January 2002 at the earliest.
As an independent commission created by act of Congress in 1998, USCIRF operates separately from the State Department, although their positions are frequently confused. The delegation to Laos, therefore, carries only semi-official status. According to law, the Commission has the responsibility to "review…the facts and circumstances of violations of religious freedom" and "to [make] policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress". The Commission’s statements carry no formal policy weight, but often coordinate closely with the views of certain members of Congress.
USCIRF holds hearing on Capitol Hill. On November 27, the Commission heard from a broad spectrum of witnesses regarding links between religion and terrorism. Laos and Cambodia were not mentioned at all during the hearing, and Vietnam only in passing. The former Ambassador for International Religious Freedom, Bob Seiple, delivered a well-worded critique of the Commission’s approach in his testimony:
"We need a mindset dedicated to creating 'win-win' strategies in host countries. In the past, I fear we have been far too quick to play the power card, to find ways to punish rather than to promote on the basis of religious freedom issues. Punishments may appease advocates, but they don't take us any closer to sustainable solutions...Unless a host country sees how a positive resolution of this issue will enhance their stature, there will
be no way to create momentum for positive change…More positive changes can be
affected in this region [Southeast Asia] by leveraging a multilateral approach.
"We also need to recognize that enduring solutions take time...It is certainly appropriate to have common standards. At the point of implementation, however, there are a number of variables. It would be well to look at a country's history, its culture, its system of government, the direction it is moving in its human rights...We need a mindset that applauds small steps."
State Department says Laos making "symbolic progress" on religious freedom. Citing increasing openness and understanding among Lao officials that religious issues are causing friction with the US and delaying passage of the trade agreement, a State Department official claims that Laos is "symbolically making progress" on the issue. However, the central government’s commitment will need to be followed by local cadres, which may be difficult and take time.
On the other main obstacle to US-Lao relations, the unresolved 1999 disappearances of Michael Vang and Huoa Ly, there is no new information that has been made public, although Lao authorities are reportedly re-investigating the case, and the State Department is reviewing additional follow-up measures, with no additional details available.
- Diplomacy
Raymond Burghardt confirmed as ambassador to Vietnam. Following a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on November 6, the nomination of Ray Burghardt as Ambassador to Vietnam was confirmed by the Senate on November 15. (For further details, see Burghardt’s confirmation testimony online at http://usembassy.state.gov/vietnam/wwwhwf011106.html.) Ambassador Burghardt will arrive in Hanoi on December 15 and plans to meet with American NGO and business leaders soon thereafter.
New York meeting with Burghardt. On November 30, the Fund for Reconciliation and Development organized a meeting in New York for representatives of US educational, development, and business organizations working in Vietnam. During the meeting, held at the Institute of International Education, Burghardt outlined his priorities as ambassador, listened to attendees’ introductions and concerns, and discussed his experience as a career Foreign Service Officer in Asia and Central America.
Excerpts from Amb. Burghardt’s introductory remarks: "Passage of the Bilateral Trade Agreement does not mean full normalization. There’s still more to do… Good relations between countries mean that governments don’t know everything that’s going on between their citizens. That’s already the case with China, and Vietnam will be that way soon…. I expect Vietnam will emerge as an important middle-rank power in Asia, and it’s in America’s interest to help make that happen."
Preparations for Cambodian communal elections in February 2002. While the war of words heats up in Cambodia amid reports of pre-election violence in a few precincts, Washington has been quiet on the issue. Neither of the institutes aligned with the major US political parties has plans to send election observers from the US; instead, they and other international organizations are funding well-organized Cambodian NGOs and observer teams. Some of these groups, like Cambodian NGOs in general, have close ties to one of the three main Cambodian parties, while others are neutral and nonpartisan.