WRAP-UP OF THE 11TH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY 2ND SESSION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HANOI 003037 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON VM DPOL SUBJECT: WRAP-UP OF THE 11TH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY 2ND SESSION REF: HANOI 1780 ¶1. (U) SUMMARY. THE 11TH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY (NA) CONCLUDED ITS SECOND SESSION ON DECEMBER 16, HAVING BEGUN ITS USUAL UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 HANOI 03037 01 OF 03 200759Z YEAR-END MEETING ON NOVEMBER 12. NA DELEGATES REVIEWED REPORTS OF THE GOVERNMENT ON SOCIO-ECONOMIC SITUATION IN 2002, SET TARGETS FOR 2003, AND DISCUSSED AND PASSED SEVERAL LAWS AND LEGAL DOCUMENTS, NAMELY THE LAW ON PROMULGATION OF LEGAL DOCUMENTS, AND THE LAW ON THE STATE BUDGET. DELEGATES QUESTIONED SELECTED CABINET MEMBERS DURING A THREE-DAY QUESTION-AND-ANSWER SESSION, ALTHOUGH THERE WERE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE LIMITED TIME AND THE LACK OF OPPORTUNITY TO QUERY THE NEW MINISTER OF PUBLIC SECURITY. THE NA AT LAST APPROVED A RESOLUTION FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE CONTROVERSIAL SON LA HYDROELECTRIC PLANT, WHILE PRIVATELY CONTINUING TO EXPRESS SOME RESERVATIONS. RELATIONS WITH THE U.S. CAME UNDER BRIEF SCRUTINY, ALTHOUGH THE OVERALL ASSESSMENT APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN POSITIVE. OVER 100 "FULL- TIME" NA DELEGATES HAVE NOW BEEN APPOINTED AND SHOULD BEGIN WORK AT THE CENTRAL AND LOCAL LEVELS SOON. END SUMMARY. SOCIO-ECONOMIC SITUATION -------------- ¶2. (U) DURING THE ANNUAL DISCUSSION ON THE GVN REPORT ON SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS, SOME DELEGATES VOICED DISSATISFACTION THAT THE GVN HAD FAILED TO PRESENT EFFECTIVE MEASURES TO SOLVE MANY KEY PROBLEMS, IN PARTICULAR WIDESPREAD OFFICIAL CORRUPTION AND WASTE, HIGH RATES OF UNEMPLOYMENT, AND INADEQUATE ADMINISTRATIVE REFORM. DELEGATES NONETHELESS PASSED THE RESOLUTION PROPOSED BY THE GVN WITH THE FOLLOWING MAIN GOALS, INTER ALIA, FOR 2003: -- GDP GROWTH BY 7-7.5 PCT -- EXPORT VALUE UP BY 7.5-8 PCT -- TOTAL INVESTMENT TO ACCOUNT FOR 35 PCT OF GDP UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 HANOI 03037 01 OF 03 200759Z -- 1.5 MILLION NEW JOBS -- JOB TRAINING FOR OVER 1 MILLION PEOPLE -- HOUSEHOLDS UNDER THE POVERTY LEVEL DECLINE TO 12.5 PCT -- MALNOURISHED CHILDREN REDUCED TO 28 PCT -- BIRTH RATE REDUCTION OF 0.04 PCT ¶3. (U) THE NA, AS EXPECTED, PASSED THE 2003 BUDGET, IN WHICH EDUCATION STILL RECEIVES THE LARGEST SHARE, AND ALSO AMENDED BUDGETARY RESPONSIBILITIES TO GIVE MORE AUTHORITY TO LOCALITIES. LEGISLATION -------------- ¶4. (U) THE NA PASSED A LAW ON AMENDMENTS AND CHANGES TO THE LAW ON PROMULGATION OF LEGAL DOCUMENTS (ALSO REFERRED TO AS THE LAW ON LAWS),REGULATIONS ON SESSIONS OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, REGULATIONS ON NATIONAL ASSEMBLY DELEGATES AND PROVINCIAL PARLIAMENTARIAN DELEGATIONS. DELEGATES ALSO DISCUSSED AND COMMENTED ON SEVERAL DRAFT LAWS, INCLUDING THE LAW ON THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY'S SUPERVISORY ACTIVITIES AND THE LAW ON NATIONAL BOUNDARIES. THE NA ADOPTED A RESOLUTION ON ITS 2003-2007 WORKPLAN TO DRAFT AND PASS 137 LAWS, ORDINANCES, AND RESOLUTIONS. (COMMENT: IT IS UNCLEAR WHETHER THIS REFERS TO SPECIFIC LEGISLATION ALREADY IN THE WORKS OR NOT. IT IS, AT BEST, A MODEST WORKPLAN GIVEN THE LEGAL CHALLENGES FACING THE GVN OVER THIS DECADE. END COMMENT) ¶5. (U) NA DELEGATES TURNED DOWN ONE OF THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE LAW ON LAWS. THE UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 04 HANOI 03037 01 OF 03 200759Z GVN HAD PROPOSED THAT INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS SHOULD PREVAIL IN CASES IN WHICH THEY CONFLICTED WITH DOMESTIC LAWS. (NOTE: THIS WAS A DIRECT ATTEMPT TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF CONFORMITY WITH THE BTA AND EVENTUALLY, THE WTO AGREEMENTS, WITHOUT HAVING TO GO BACK AND CHANGE UPWARDS OF 200 LAWS AND REGULATIONS THAT WILL CONFLICT. END NOTE) THE DELEGATES DECLINED TO APPROVE THE CHANGE, CITING "SOVEREIGNTY" REASONS. JUSTICE MINISTER UONG CHU LUU, ON BEHALF OF THE GVN, INFORMED THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY THAT THE ITEM WOULD BE RE-WRITTEN IN A NEWER VERSION OF THE LAW. IN ANOTHER MOVE, DELEGATES ALSO VOTED TO AMEND EXISTING GVN LAW SO AS TO REQUIRE THAT ALL LAWS BECOME EFFECTIVE ONLY AFTER PUBLICIZED IN THE PUBLIC GAZETTE (ANOTHER BTA REQUIREMENT ON TRANSPARENCY). THERE WAS SOME OPPOSITION TO THIS MOVE; SOME DELEGATES DECLARED IT WAS "IRRATIONAL" AND OTHERS CLAIMED THE CHANGE WAS TOO VAGUE AND PREFERRED TO HAVE EACH LEGAL DOCUMENT SPECIFY EFFECTIVE DATES. ¶6. (U) NA DELEGATES ALSO VOTED TO ESTABLISH AN AD-HOC COMMITTEE TO EXAMINE MORE CAREFULLY THE DRAFT LAW RELATED TO ITS OWN SUPERVISORY AND INSPECTION ACTIVITIES. THE NEW BODY WILL BE HEADED BY A MEMBER OF THE NA STANDING COMMITTEE, WILL INCLUDE 25 MEMBERS, AND WILL ALSO SEEK INPUT FROM EXPERTS INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE NA. ACCORDING TO A SENIOR STAFF MEMBER FROM THE OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY (ONA), THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THIS AD-HOC COMMITTEE IS UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED PTQ5631 PAGE 01 HANOI 03037 02 OF 03 200759Z ACTION EAP-00 INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AID-00 CEA-01 CIAE-00 COME-00 CTME-00 DODE-00 DOEE-00 ITCE-00 DOTE-00 SRPP-00 DS-00 EB-00 EXME-00 OIGO-00 E-00 FAAE-00 FBIE-00 UTED-00 VC-00 FRB-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 ITC-01 LAB-01 L-00 VCE-00 AC-01 NSAE-00 NSCE-00 OMB-01 OPIC-01 PA-00 PM-00 PRS-00 ACE-00 P-00 SP-00 SSO-00 STR-00 TEST-00 TRSE-00 USIE-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 PRM-00 DRL-02 G-00 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /009W -------------- 1AADF7 200800Z /38 R 200716Z DEC 02 FM AMEMBASSY HANOI TO SECSTATE WASHDC 8432 INFO AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH AMEMBASSY VIENTIANE USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 03 HANOI 003037 SIPDIS "UNPRECEDENTED" AND IS SEEN AS A SIGN OF THE NA'S GROWING ASSERTIVENESS. ¶7. (U) SEVERAL DELEGATES DURING THE SESSION EXPRESSED UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 HANOI 03037 02 OF 03 200759Z FRUSTRATION OVER WHAT THEY PERCEIVED AS AUTHORITARIAN BEHAVIOR BY SOME AMONG THE NA LEADERSHIP WHEN DELIBERATING ON DRAFT LEGISLATION DURING PLENARY SESSIONS. IN TRYING TO PERSUADE DELEGATES TO ACCEPT THE GVN DRAFTS, THESE LEADERS APPEARED TO DAMPEN OPPORTUNITIES FOR DELEGATES TO HAVE FRANK AND OPEN DISCUSSIONS ON SOME OF THE MORE CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES. NA CHAIRMAN NGUYEN VAN AN AT SEVERAL TIMES DURING THE PLENARY SESSIONS APPARENTLY HAD TO BEG THE PARDON OF THE DELEGATES IN RESPONSE TO THEIR DISCONTENT. ¶8. (U) ADDITIONALLY, SOME DELEGATES WERE REPORTEDLY UPSET THAT THEIR "RATIONAL" COMMENTS WERE NOT REFLECTED IN FINAL LEGISLATION. THERE WERE APPARENTLY OPEN ARGUMENTS BETWEEN SOME DELEGATES AND CABINET MINISTERS (WHO REPRESENTED CHAIRMEN OF THE DRAFTING UNITS) DURING PLENARY MEETINGS OF THE NA. DELEGATE NGUYEN DINH LOC, THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE UNTIL AUGUST 2002, AT ONE POINT PUBLICLY CALLED UPON MINISTER OF FINANCE NGUYEN SINH HUNG "TO LISTEN TO RIGHT COMMENTS FROM THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY" AFTER HUNG DECLINED TO ACKNOWLEDGE POINTS RAISED BY DELEGATES ABOUT THE REVISED LAW ON STATE BUDGET. QS-AND-AS WITH CABINET MEMBERS -------------- ¶9. (U) TO THE DISAPPOINTMENT OF MANY DELEGATES, MINISTER OF PUBLIC SECURITY LE HONG ANH WAS NOT ONE AMONG THE FEW CABINET MINISTERS TO ATTEND THE 3-DAY Q&A SESSION, WHICH WAS CARRIED LIVE ON NATIONAL TELEVISION. SOME DELEGATES SAID THAT ANH SHOULD BE OBLIGED TO RESPOND TO COMPLAINTS THAT THE MPS HAD FAILED EFFECTIVELY TO DEAL WITH THE NAM CAM MAFIA UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 HANOI 03037 02 OF 03 200759Z GANG AND THE ALLEGED INVOLVEMENTS OF MPS OFFICIALS (INCLUDING TWO MPS MINISTERS WHO LOST THEIR POSITIONS AND WERE ALSO DEMOTED IN RANK). ¶10. (U) SEVERAL OBSERVERS NOTED THAT THE Q&A SESSION APPEARED MORE STAGED THAN IN PREVIOUS YEARS, WITH MINISTERS USING THEIR ALLOCATED TIME MERELY TO READ PREPARED REMARKS, LEAVING LITTLE TIME FOR DISCUSSION. SOME DELEGATES HAVE COMPLAINED THAT THE TIME ALLOCATED FOR THE Q&A SESSION WAS TOO SHORT OVERALL. PUBLIC INTEREST IN THE LIVE COVERAGE APPEARED MINIMAL. SON LA DAM-- AT LAST! -------------- ¶11. (U) AFTER YEARS OF DESIGN, DEBATE, INTERNATIONAL CRITICISM, AND THE REFUSAL OF THE NA IN EARLIER SESSIONS TO APPROVE A LARGER VERSION OF THE SON LA HYDROELECTRIC DAM IN THE PROVINCE OF THAT SAME NAME, THE NA APPROVED A SCALED- DOWN VERSION THAT WILL BE BETWEEN 205-215 METERS HIGH AND REQUIRE THE RELOCATION OF BETWEEN 79-91,000 MOSTLY ETHNIC MINORITY PEOPLE (ACCORDING TO ONE NA DELEGATE, ALL WITHIN THE SAME PROVINCE). ESTIMATED COSTS WERE PROJECTED AT BETWEEN USD 2-2.5 BILLION, WITH THE GVN CLAIMING 70 PCT WILL BE FINANCED DOMESTICALLY. AFTER THE VOTE, ONE NA DELEGATE TOLD POL/C THAT NA DELEGATES NOW WERE "MORE SATISFIED, BUT NOT SATISFIED" WITH THE COMPROMISE PROJECT. SEPTEL WILL EXAMINE THE DAM PROJECT AND ITS ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS. FOREIGN POLICY UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 04 HANOI 03037 02 OF 03 200759Z -------------- ¶12. (U) FOREIGN MINISTER NGUYEN DY NIEN ON DECEMBER 4 GAVE A BROAD OVERVIEW OF THE GVN'S SUCCESSES IN THE INTERNATIONAL ARENA OVER THE PAST YEAR, BUT LOCAL MEDIA MERELY SUMMARIZED HIS REMARKS BRIEFLY. ONA CONTACTS DECLINED TO PROVIDE EMBASSY A COPY OF HIS REPORT. ACCORDING TO ONE NA DELEGATE, FM NIEN PRAISED POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS IN US-VIETNAM RELATIONS, BUT NOTED SOME "NEGATIVE" INFLUENCES. ANOTHER NA DELEGATE SEPARATELY SAID THAT HE HAD INFERRED FROM FM NIEN'S COMMENTS ABOUT THE U.S. THAT THERE WERE "NEGATIVE FORCES" IN THE U.S. TRYING TO INFLUENCE US POLICYMAKERS, BUT THAT THE USG ITSELF MAINTAINED A CONSTRUCTIVE POLICY TOWARD VIETNAM AND BOTH GOVERNMENTS WERE CONTINUING TO IMPROVE AND EXPAND RELATIONS REGARDLESS. STAFFING -------------- ¶13. (U) ONE OF THE NEW FEATURES OF THE 11TH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY WAS THE DESIGNATION OF 125 "FULL-TIME" MEMBERS, WHO WERE APPARENTLY NAMED IN AUGUST, ALTHOUGH THEIR IDENTITIES WERE NOT PUBLICIZED AND THE MEDIA HAS YET TO REPORT ON THEM OR THEIR EXACT ROLES. AFTER MONTHS OF EMBASSY REQUESTS FOR CONFIRMATION OF THEIR EXISTENCE AND A NAME LIST, THE NA ADDED THEIR NAMES TO ITS WEBSITE IN EARLY DECEMBER AND SENT UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED PTQ5632 PAGE 01 HANOI 03037 03 OF 03 200800Z ACTION EAP-00 INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AID-00 CEA-01 CIAE-00 COME-00 CTME-00 DODE-00 DOEE-00 ITCE-00 DOTE-00 SRPP-00 DS-00 EB-00 EXME-00 OIGO-00 E-00 FAAE-00 FBIE-00 UTED-00 VC-00 FRB-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 ITC-01 LAB-01 L-00 VCE-00 AC-01 NSAE-00 NSCE-00 OMB-01 OPIC-01 PA-00 PM-00 PRS-00 ACE-00 P-00 SP-00 SSO-00 STR-00 TEST-00 TRSE-00 USIE-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 PRM-00 DRL-02 G-00 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /009W -------------- 1AADF8 200800Z /38 R 200716Z DEC 02 FM AMEMBASSY HANOI TO SECSTATE WASHDC 8433 INFO AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH AMEMBASSY VIENTIANE USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI UNCLAS SECTION 03 OF 03 HANOI 003037 SIPDIS EMBASSY A NOTIFICATION TO THIS EFFECT. VIRTUALLY ALL ARE ASSIGNED TO ONE OF THE EIGHT MAJOR COMMITTEES. ¶14. (U) THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF "FULL-TIME" MEMBERS: UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 HANOI 03037 03 OF 03 200800Z CENTRAL, AND LOCAL. THOSE AT THE CENTRAL LEVEL WILL HAVE OFFICES IN HANOI, ALBEIT WITHOUT PERSONAL STAFFS AS OF YET. THE LOCAL FULL-TIME MEMBERS WILL MAINTAIN AN OFFICE IN EACH PROVINCE, AND ARE SUPPOSED TO RESPOND TO CONSTITUENT COMPLAINTS AND REQUESTS. ONE NA DELEGATE FROM BINH DINH ADMITTED TO POL/C ON DECEMBER 27 THAT THE PROVINCIAL OFFICES HAD NOT YET BEEN SET UP BUT WOULD GET GOING SOON IN 2003. HE LAMENTED THE LACK OF ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT FOR THE FULL- TIME MEMBERS, MUCH LESS THE REGULAR DELEGATES. HE NOTED THAT THE NA RECEIVES AT LEAST 200,000 LETTERS FROM CONSTITUENTS EACH YEAR. TO REPLY TO HIS CONSTITUENTS, HE MUST UNDERTAKE WHATEVER RESEARCH HIMSELF AND DRAFT HIS OWN LETTERS, ALTHOUGH THERE IS IN PRINCIPLE CLERICAL SUPPORT IN THE ONA TO TYPE OUTGOING LETTERS. BURGHARDT UNCLASSIFIED