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| Asia : Vietnam rejects EU criticism on human rights |
By: amanger  9 November 2008 view: 43
Vietnam rejects EU criticism on human rights
(HANOI) - Vietnam's government on Friday rejected a European parliament resolution this week that accused the communist country of "systematic violation of democracy and human rights."
The resolution, passed by a 479-21 vote Wednesday, recommended that the European Union reassess its cooperation with Vietnam and said the human rights dialogue "must lead to tangible improvements in Vietnam."
Vietnam's Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Dung in an online statement praised recent cooperative EU-Vietnam relations and ongoing talks about a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement that would further improve bilateral ties.
"In this context, the European Parliament's adoption of a resolution that incorrectly reflects Vietnam's situation, poses groundless conditions which affect the fruitfully growing relations between Vietnam and the EU, is unacceptable," he said in a statement posted on the government website Friday.
"Ensuring and upholding human rights is both the target and impetus of the doi moi (renewal or renovation) cause in Vietnam," Dung wrote.
"Vietnam's efforts have resulted in a wide variety of achievements which have been recognised by the international community.
"We hold that the two sides should continue with meetings and dialogue to deal with their differences and to increase their mutual understanding."
In their resolution this week, European Parliament members called on the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, "to reassess cooperation policy with Vietnam ... based on respect for democratic principles and fundamental rights."
They called for the new agreement to "include a clear human rights and democracy clause ... to raise with the Vietnamese side the need to stop the current systematic violation of democracy and human rights."
They denounced, in particular, religious intolerance and called for the immediate release of "all people imprisoned or detained for the peaceful expression of political or religious beliefs."
They said these included more than 300 Montagnard Christians as well as Khmer Krom Buddhist monks, Catholics and adherents of the Cao Dai religion as well as democracy activists, land rights petitioners and trade union leaders.
More news on this topic:
US presses China to free EU prize-winning dissidentChina voices anger over EU rights prize for 'criminal' HuChinese dissident's wife and activists welcome rights awardRebels at gates as EU debates DR Congo military missionMelamine found in 18 more food products
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