The U.S. government will continue seeking suitable solutions and financial supports for the issues on Agent Orange/dioxin and war landmine clearance in Vietnam, state media reported on June 9, citing an American senior diplomat. Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Andrew J. Shapiro told a press briefing June 8 that he would return home to seek additional funding to help Vietnam reduce the war’s aftermaths. Shapiro and Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Pham Binh Minh co-chaired the third meeting of U.S.-Vietnam Political, Security and Defense Dialogue in Hanoi on the same day, the Lao Dong newspaper reported on June 9. Regarding the AO/dioxin issue, Shapiro said the Obama Administration has outlined a cooperative program with Vietnam to clean up the contamination from the war-time herbicide AO beginning next year. Washington has so far this year spent $3 million on clearing bombs and $6 million on cleaning up the herbicide AO chemical and supporting victims in Vietnam where U.S. troops fought for several years between the 1960s and 70s. The U.S. may provide Vietnam an additional $3.5 million funding this year for clearing unexploded ordnance, a French news agency AFP cited Shapiro. Legacy of the Vietnam War is also touched upon during talks between Vietnamese Defense Minister Phung Quang Thanh and his American counterpart Robert Gates on the sidelines of the 2010 Shangri-La Dialogue held in Singapore June 3-6, the Tuoi Tre newspaper reported, citing Thanh. The U.S.-Vietnam political meeting took place amid the upcoming 15th anniversary of their diplomatic relations normalization also focused on enhancing bilateral ties in the areas of peacekeeping operations and training, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, maritime search and rescue, regional security, and nonproliferation.
