The 16-member US delegation was led by John McAuliff, ExecutiveDirector of the US Fund for Reconciliation and Development (FRD), who isvisiting Vietnam from April 19 to May 1.
ViceChairman of the Vietnam-US Friendship Association Bui The Giang welcomedthe visit, which coincided with activities marking the 40thanniversary of South Vietnam’s liberation and national reunification.
He thanked the US left wing movement for friendship,solidarity and support to Vietnam in the past and expressed his delightat the FRD’s continuation of acting as a bridge linking the two peoples.
Giang said he hopes the US side will furthersupport his country in dealing with the aftermath of the war andundertaking humanitarian activities supporting the victims.
McAuliff said after the countries normalised their relations 20 yearsago, the FRD has supported Vietnam in negotiating and signing thebilateral trade agreement and entering the World Trade Organisation.
His visit aims to learn about contemporary Vietnam, its ‘doi moi’(renewal) efforts and foreign policies, and its response to the remnantsof the war. His delegation will also meet with Vietnamese agencies andorganisations to discuss cooperation, and attend activities in Ho ChiMinh City celebrating 40 years of peace.
At the gathering, participants looked back on Vietnam’s past struggles and the US activists’ assistance to the country.
The anti-war movement in the US in the 1960s and 1970s played a vitalrole in demanding the US administration negotiate and sign the ParisAccord on January 27, 1973, which created an important prerequisite forthe South’s complete liberation and national reunification on April 30,1975.-VNA