Cablegate: Vietnam: Speeding Up Wto Process

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

080939Z Mar 05

UNCLAS HANOI 000569

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

STATE PLEASE PASS TO USTR EBRYAN, GHICKS
STATE ALSO FOR E, EB AND EAP/BCLTV
STATE PASS USAID FOR CHAPLIN/ANE
USDOC FOR 4430/MAC/ASIA/OPB/VLC/HPPHO
GENEVA FOR USTR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETRD ECON VM WTO
SUBJECT: Vietnam: Speeding Up WTO Process

1. (U) According to press reports, the Standing Committee of
the National Assembly met with key GVN officials on March 4
to discuss ways to ensure timely passage of laws required
for WTO accession so that Vietnam can join the WTO at the
Hong Kong Ministerial in December. According to the
reports, the government described the status of the
negotiations and explained the need to accelerate the law-
making process. The Standing Committee reportedly agreed to
adjust the 2005 law-making plan to speed up the process in
parallel with the WTO negotiation process. Under the
revised plan, Vietnam will amend and promulgate in 2005 the
laws that are of most importance to the negotiating
partners. To implement a revised legislative action plan,
the NA may adjust its procedures by simplifying the process,
prolonging the sessions, or even adding an extra session in
2005, the reports said.

2. (SBU) Key GVN officials including the Minister of Trade
and his WTO negotiators Vice Minister Luong Van Tu and
Director General Tan Quoc Khanh attended the March 4
meeting. In confirming press reports to ECON/C March 8,
Khanh stressed that this meeting had been the first step
constituting the NA's agreement in principle. The GVN would
now need to revise its legislative action plan and then seek
NA approval. He went on to say that he was not focusing on
deadlines, just on getting everything done. Khanh will be
holding bilateral market access talks with the Japanese this
week, and with the United States and Canada next week.

MARINE

MARINE

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