The conference was co-held by the National Steering Committee on the Settlement of Post-war Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) and Toxic Chemical Consequences (Steering Committee 701) of Vietnam and the US Institute of Peace (USIP), and under the chair of Vietnamese Deputy Defense Minister, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh, and USIP President Nancy Lindborg. The conference was attended by other Vietnamese and US high ranking officials and relevant agencies of both countries.
Proud of what has been done
In his opening remarks, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh welcomed participants to the conference and held that Vietnam and the US have reason to be proud of what has been done for more the past 30 years of war consequence relief efforts. A lot of US families have received remains of the family members back home after years without hope. Forty hectares of dioxin-contaminated land in Da Nang Airport has been cleaned, helping the city implement their socio-economic projects and clearing the fear of being exposed to dioxin among people.
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Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh and US Senator Patrick Leahy |
According to the Vietnamese general, overcoming war legacies is the best way to set the past aside in the relations of Vietnam and the US. Challenges and difficulties between the two countries should be turned into good deeds in the future via mitigating consequences of the war in Vietnam. War veterans of the two countries are among the ones who have engaged in these activities. More than once, ordinary Vietnamese people dove under the sea or climbed up high mountains to find remains of US soldiers missing in action without any conditions. The people of Vietnam have understood the Vietnamese Government’s great efforts in easing war consequences and also known the assistance of the international community, including the US, in this rocky road.
At the conference, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh also suggested that the US, other countries, and international organizations continue their support for the relief of UXO (unexploded ordnance) and toxic chemical consequences in Vietnam.
Preparations for dioxin-decontamination in Bien Hoa Airport
In his presentation at the conference, US Senator Patrick Leahy, Vice Chair of the US Senate Appropriations Committee, informed that for years, the US side has coordinated with the Vietnamese side in detecting and destroying millions of mines and explosives, which had posed threats to innocent Vietnamese people. The number of UXO victims has decreased sharply compared to previous years though there is still much work to be done.
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Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh speaking at the event |
As for the Agent Orange/dioxin issue, Senator Patrick Leahy revealed that in all the talks both prior to and after the normalization of the Vietnam-US relations in 1995, the Vietnamese side has always raised the issue of Agent Orange/dioxin and its effects on people. Meanwhile, US veterans who joined the war in Vietnam and were also exposed to the toxin, then contracted cancers and various other diseases, have also filed the issue and called for support from the government. In 1991, the US Department of Veterans’ Affairs accepted the demand of the US veterans, but it took another 15 years for them to take the problem in Vietnam into consideration.
The US senator also informed that in April 2019, he will lead a delegation of 10 senators from both Democratic and Republican parties to visit Vietnam. In that upcoming visit, he will join the inauguration of the dioxin-decontamination project in Bien Hoa Airport, which is bigger than that in Da Nang Airport and one of the biggest environmental projects in the world. The delegation will also witness the signing of the Letter of Intention on a five-year support program for people with disabilities in the dioxin-contaminated areas between Vietnam and the US.
A symbol of leaving the past behind, heading for future
The conference was broken into three themes: the foundation for the Vietnam-US relations in postwar time, healing the wound of war, and building sustainable partnership - the road ahead. At the conference, Vietnam’s presentations all showed that overcoming war legacies, including the search for US soldiers missing in action in Vietnam, is the content which is always highly prioritized by the Party, State and people of Vietnam. This is an issue of humanity serving as the momentum for bilateral cooperation in other fields in the future, contributing to building confidence between the two countries. The US side highly appreciated the efforts of Vietnam in this field. The images and documents shown at the conference clearly proved the efforts of the Vietnamese side in searching for and repatriating US soldiers’ remains.
Participants at the conference all affirmed that overcoming war legacies always serves as an important foundation for the development of the Vietnam-US relations. This is the most vivid evidence helping turn the former foes into comprehensive partners, contributing to easing war pains, putting the past aside and heading for the future of both countries.
Translated by Huu Duong