PM Khai firm on WTO entry date

Khai said Vietnam’s bid for WTO accession has received high levels of approval from both representatives in the political system and from the Vietnamese public.
“The current problems where we have yet to reach agreement are market access, tariff levels and insurance services,” Khai said.
“However, Vietnam’s determination to join the WTO by the end of 2005 remains unchanged.”
Last week, the prime minister told representatives of more than 40 bilateral and multi-lateral donors and international non-governmental organisations in Vietnam at the 100th monthly Donor Group Meeting Celebration in Hanoi, chaired by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), that the government was speeding up negotiations with WTO members.
“In my last meeting with Mrs [Charlene] Barchefsky, the former US trade representative…She told me that negotiations between Vietnam and the US were moving in a positive direction. Of course, we need to have higher level negotiations at the last minute to make the process more effective,” said Khai, who is planning to visit the US this June.
Vietnam has concluded its second round of negotiations with the US and will have to complete bilateral talks with 20 other WTO members before it can realise its goal to enter the world’s largest trade organisation by the end of this year.
The prime minister also highlighted the strong determination of the Vietnamese Government to fight corruption and waste in his reply to a question raised by the European Union ambassador to Vietnam regarding measures to combat such negative behaviour. However, he conceded that Vietnam was still not doing enough.
“We are not doing very well in fighting waste or corruption, and it can be said that if we don’t implement effective measures [soon], corruption will spread,” Khai said.
“At the moment, I can say that corruption is at unacceptable levels in our country,” he told foreign donors, adding that combatting such negative behaviour was now the government’s key priority.
However, he said the fight against corruption should be conducted in a “tactful way” otherwise it would cause social unrest.
Khai also took the occasion to express his sincere thanks to the foreign donor community in Vietnam, saying that international donors contributed significantly to helping Vietnam fulfil its hunger eradication and poverty reduction targets, which went beyond general expectations.
Every year, about 300,000 people in the poorest regions of the country are provided with opportunities to engage in business and production to escape from poverty, according to the prime minister.
“I think we can be proud of our efficient cooperation in efforts to help the poor lead happier lives,” Khai said.
The prime minister called upon donors to participate in Vietnam’s socio-economic development strategy during the 2006-10 period through their various assistance models.
Vietnam aims to double GDP per capita to $1,000 during the next five years, with an average GDP growth rate of between 7.5-8 per cent, according to the prime minister.