[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 99 (Friday, June 16, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S8543]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   NORMALIZING RELATIONS WITH VIETNAM

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, there are press reports that the 
administration is considering finally normalizing relations with 
Vietnam. I know that even after a quarter century this is an emotional 
and difficult issue, especially for the families of our POW/MIA's. But 
I believe strongly that it is time to take this step. The record is 
clear that closer relations will contribute to resolving the remaining 
discrepancy cases, and we have many other interests in Southeast Asia 
that will be furthered by closer relations with our former enemy.
  The Vietnam war was a tragedy for both the United States and for 
Vietnam. More than 58,000 American soldiers and at least 2 million 
Vietnamese lost their lives. Countless others were injured. At least 
60,000 Vietnamese are missing a leg or an arm, mostly from landmines. 
The war produced bitterness on both sides that poisoned relations 
between our countries for years.
  But it is time to put that period behind us. Vietnam is slowly moving 
away from its Communist past. It has taken aggressive steps to promote 
private investment and permit a market economy to develop. It has 
invited representatives of human rights groups to discuss their 
concerns. The Vietnamese Government is even requiring its senior 
officials to study English as a way of accelerating its adoption of 
American-style practices.
  There is no question that Vietnam still has a long way to go. We need 
to continue to challenge Vietnamese officials about reports of torture, 
arrests of dissidents, arbitrary detentions, political trials, and 
abuse of prisoners in forced labor camps. We need to press them to 
eliminate Vietnam's black-market trade in endangered species. And there 
are other issues.
  But we need to recognize that the situation has changed. The United 
States shut the door to Vietnam after the war because its Government 
was engaging in practices abhorrent to Americans. There are still 
problems, but 25 years later almost half of Vietnam's citizens had not 
even been born by the war's end. The best way to encourage the 
Vietnamese Government to maintain progress toward openness and free 
markets is to expand dialog and contact, not refuse it.
  Obtaining the fullest possible accounting of our POW's/MIA's is 
essential. I have provided funding in the foreign operations 
appropriations bill to help locate the remains of our POW/MIA's. But 
there is no longer any question that the Vietnamese Government is 
cooperating fully in this effort. They are working closely with our 
liaison office to continue the search for remains. Maintaining 
obstacles to full cooperation between our two Governments at this point 
will hinder, not reinforce progress, toward completion of this effort.
  Mr. President, the cold war is over. We have no Soviet Union to hold 
in check any longer, and the largest remaining Communist power, China, 
which has a worse human rights record than Vietnam, has been granted 
MFN status.
  It is time we recognized that times have changed in Vietnam, and in 
our own country, and we should move forward together. I urge the 
President to delay no longer in resuming full diplomatic relations with 
Vietnam.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Utah is recognized.

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