US Embassy opens condolence book for late Senator McCain
Hanoi (VNA) – The US
Embassy will open a condolence book for late Senator John McCain who passed
away on August 25 (US time) at the age of 81, the embassy and the Consulate
General in Vietnam announced on August 26.
The book will be available for
signing at the Vuon Hong Building, No 170 Ngoc Khanh Street, Hanoi from 10am to
5 pm from August 27-29.
The embassy said in honour of
the contributions of the Senator and his long-time partner in US-Vietnam issues
– John Kerry, the US diplomatic mission in Vietnam will launch the McCain/Kerry
programme.
[Senator McCain - who helps lay foundation for Vietnam-US relations - passes away]
The programme will sponsor a study trip of a young Vietnamese official to the US each year, thus further deepening the relations between the two nations and promoting the constructive heritage of Senator McCain.
McCain was one of the first persons campaigning for the normalization of
US-Vietnam relations through promoting humanitarian issues such as removing
unexploded ordnance left by the war, searching for missing-in-action personnel,
supporting people with disabilities caused by the war, and detoxifying areas
polluted by dioxin.
In 1994, the US Senate approved a resolution sponsored by McCain and
Senator John Kerry, calling to end the economic sanction against Vietnam,
paving the way for the normalization of relations between the two countries one
year later.
Following the normalization of bilateral ties, McCain and Kerry visited
Vietnam many times to address the issue of American missing-in-action soldiers
(POW/MIA).
Along with pushing for the normalization of relations with Vietnam,
Senator McCain also supported the Vietnamese community in the US, serving as a
bridge between them and the US authorities as well as the Vietnamese
Government.-VNA