Source: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0706/24/le.01.html
BLITZER: Welcome back to "Late Edition."
History was made in Washington this week when President Bush warmly welcomed the
president of Vietnam to the White House. I spoke with President Nguyen Minh
Triet during his Washington visit.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Mr. President, thanks very much for joining us. Welcome to the United
States.
Let's start with your meetings with President Bush. Were you satisfied with the
conversation you had with the U.S. president?
PRES. NGUYEN MINH TRIET, VIETNAM (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): I was very satisfied with
the conversation, with the meeting with President Bush. We have exchanged views
on many issues that are very useful to both sides, and in the spirit of mutual
understanding.
BLITZER: What's the most important part of the relationship between your country
and the United States right now?
TRIET (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): The most important part in our relations right now
is to further develop our friendship and cooperation.
BLITZER: There seems to be, though, one impediment, one major problem, and
that's the U.S. charge that you are abusing human rights of your own people in
Vietnam. President Bush said he raised that issue with you today. How did that
part of the conversation go?
TRIET (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): We did have a direct and open exchange of views on
this matter. I think that the United States and Vietnam, different histories,
have different legal systems, and that's why it's natural that we have certain
different perceptions on different things.
BLITZER: Did the president of the United States raise specific cases with you,
individuals, names of people the United States feels are -- their human rights
are being violated in Vietnam?
TRIET (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): We have agreed that this is a matter that we would
exchange views between us, not to divulge to the outside.
BLITZER: Because I ask that specific question, because the
president at June 5th conference on democracy and security, a conference that he
had in Prague, he did mention one specific name, Father Nguyen Van Ly of
Vietnam, someone that he said -- he included within a group of others around the
world whose human rights were being violated.
TRIET (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Reverend Nguyen Van Ly was brought to court because
of these violations of the law. It absolutely is not a matter of religion.
BLITZER: I'm going to show you a picture that was seen around the world, and it
caused a lot of concern, especially here in the United States. You're probably
familiar with this picture.
TRIET (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Yes, I do know this picture. During the trial,
Reverend Ly also uttered violent and bad words at his trial. And that is why you
have seen on the picture what happened.
I can assure that to cover somebody's mouth like that is not good. It would take
a good measure in order to take care of this matter. And this is a mistake make
staff right there. It's not the government policy of doing such a thing.
BLITZER: I want to move on to some other subjects, but one final question on the
dissidents, the human rights part. On the eve of your visit here, you released
two prisoners, two political prisoners, as they are described. There are at
least another half a dozen, if not more, who are being held. Do you think others
will be released anytime soon, including Father Nguyen Van Ly?
TRIET (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Those violators of the law, they were put away
because of their violations.
And whether they are released depending on the attitude and the perceptions of
what wrong they have done.
I would like to tell you that Vietnam has experienced long years of war, and
during that period, Vietnamese people did not enjoy full human rights. Many of
us were arrested, were put into prison, tortured, without recourse to the court.
We conducted the liberation war in order to regain our human rights.
And therefore, more than anybody else, we love human rights, and we respect
them. Perhaps you cannot truly understand or sense how much we hold in high
regard human rights.
BLITZER: I don't know if you're aware that, outside of the White House, when you
were there with the president, there were some demonstrations,
Vietnamese-Americans who are concerned.
I wonder if you have any message to the Vietnamese-American community who remain
very fiercely proud of their Vietnamese heritage, but also would like to see the
situation in Vietnam improve, and that's why many of them were demonstrating
here outside the White House.
TRIET (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Our message is that the Vietnamese living abroad, in
general, and in the United States in particular, is part and parcel of the
Vietnamese nation. The blood they have is the blood of the Vietnamese. The flesh
they have is the flesh of the Vietnamese.
The government of Vietnam wants to see them succeed in the United States, and we
also would like to see them to serve as a bridge between the United States and
Vietnam. As far as our differences in views and opinion, we should exchange
dialogues in order to solve those differences. We invite them to come back to
visit Vietnam in order to see with their own eyes our changes, our improvements.
BLITZER: Let me ask you a question, Mr. President, about the Americans
unaccounted for still in Southeast Asia. According to the Defense Department,
the U.S. Defense Department, 483 American troops are still unaccounted for in
what was called North Vietnam; another 882 in South Vietnam, about 1,365.
I know this issue came up with the president at your meeting at the White House,
and he thanked you for your help. But I wonder if you had any new information to
provide on missing American troops in Vietnam.
TRIET (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): In past years, Vietnam had active cooperation with
the United States in MIA-related issues. We do that out of humanitarian cause.
And Vietnam will continue to cooperate with the United States in solving these
matters.
BLITZER: But you have no new information about specific cases, no more remains
that you found recently, any other information on missing in action, POWs,
anything like that?
TRIET (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): I don't have specific data on this matter.
BLITZER: But as the president of Vietnam, can you assure the American people
that your government is doing everything possible to find out what happened to
these American troops?
TRIET (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Absolutely, 100 percent. The government of Vietnam
has and is and will be in full cooperation to do its utmost in order to help the
United States to account for MIAs. We do this and we do what -- everything
possible in order to account for American MIAs, while we still have a host of
our own MIAs.
BLITZER: There is another issue that came up at your meeting with the president,
President Bush, and that involves the very sensitive matter of Agent Orange.
U.S. Congress recently appropriated funds to deal with the fallout from this
very deadly toxin that was used during the war. Are you satisfied with what the
United States is doing now to deal with the remnants of Agent Orange in Vietnam?
TRIET (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): I'm grateful for the efforts made by President Bush
and the Congress with regard to support for Agent Orange and dioxin victims. And
at the meeting, I also expressed my thanks to President Bush. But there are many
Agent Orange afflicted victims, and their lives are difficult, and the afflicted
environments must be restored.
BLITZER: Does your government right now have a better relationship with the
United States government, or the government of China? TRIET (THROUGH
TRANSLATOR): The foreign policy of Vietnam is based on independence and
self-controlling. And Vietnam wants to be friends with all countries, want to be
a reliable partner of other countries.
China is a neighboring country with traditional relations with Vietnam. Both
China and Vietnam would like to enhance our cooperation for development.
Cooperative relations between Vietnam and China would not adversarily affect our
relations with other countries, and we also would like to seek an increase in
our friendship and cooperation with the United States.
BLITZER: So you want to have good relations with the United States and China. I
hear a very diplomatic answer.
TRIET (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): No, it's not a diplomatic answer at all, and it is
our true desire. That's what we want.
BLITZER: Mr. President, did you ever think during the war that you would be the
president of Vietnam, and that you would come to the United States and would be
warmly received by the president of the United States at the White House?
TRIET (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): I never thought, even after the war, in capacity of
a regular citizen, I wouldn't have thought of coming -- having a chance to come
to visit the United States. And that's why this visit of mine to the United
States is historic.
Now, President Bush and I had a good exchange of views on how to further enhance
our relations, and both President Bush and I are satisfied with our meeting.
BLITZER: Thank you so much, Mr. President, and welcome to the United States.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Source: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0706/24/le.01.html