The 2nd session of the 12th National Assembly will open on October 22, said NA Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong at a meeting of the NA Standing Committee in Hanoi on Sept. 21.
NA deputies are scheduled to have 27 days seating, including two Saturdays, for the 2nd session of the National Assembly.
A coordination meeting on South-South solidarity opened in Hanoi on September 21 with the participation of nearly 50 delegates from Asian, African and Latin American countries.
Former Vice State President Nguyen Thi Binh, who is currently President of the Vietnam Peace and Development Fund, urged the participants to focus their discussion on ways to reach further coordination and solidarity among Asian, African and Latin American people.
Samir Amin, President of the World Forum for Alternatives and Director of the Third World Forum, also called on Asian, African and Latin American nations to strengthen their solidarity during their struggle for social advancement and democracy.
During the four-day meeting, the participants will also share their experiences on poverty reduction and approve South-South solidarity declaration and South-South network coordination mechanism.
Also on the agenda are World Trade Organisation agricultural issues and a presentation about Vietnam in its renewal process and the path towards socialism.
The “Blue Ribbon Employment Council,” the first of its kind, was established in Hanoi on September 21 by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and a group of supporters.
The purpose of the establishment of the council is to promote the employment of Vietnamese people with disabilities, the US Embassy in Hanoi said in a press release.
The US’s non-government organisation “Vietnam Assistance for the Handicapped,” the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the National Coordination Committee on Disability and the American Chamber of Commerce also were all active in the setting up of the council.
The council, comprising of major international and Vietnamese employers, will work to develop, expand, and promote employment opportunities for the disabled.
According to the Embassy, promoting the employment of Vietnam’s disabled population is just one part of the US’s 43 million USD-assistance programmes to help people with disabilities in Vietnam.
US Senators, government officials and non-governmental organisations’ representatives have emphasised that direct dialogue and exchange on the issues of mutual concern would help enhance mutual understanding and promote the relationship between Vietnam and the US on the foundation of mutual respect and for mutual interest.
Senators Chuck Hagel, Jim Webb and Lisa Murkowski; Representative Eni Faleomavaega, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Jonathan D. Farrar and Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom John V. Hanford III as well as representatives of the Human Rights Watch and the Amnesty International made the remarks while receiving Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly’s Committee for External Affairs Nguyen Van Son and his delegation in separate meetings in Washington D.C. on Sept. 18 and 19.
Regarding the so-called “Vietnam Human Rights Act of 2007”, Son stressed that the bill did neither reflect objectively the situation in Vietnam nor contribute to the positive development of the Vietnam-US relationship.
He went on to say that, "Vietnam is ready for dialogue with the US on a number of issues, including democracy, human rights and religion.”
The US Senators committed to expressing their objective attitude towards the bill when it is presented to the Senate.
(Source: VNA) | 
