A Vietnamese diplomat has reaffirmed the Vietnamese Government’s commitment to continue working with the US in the search for the remains of American servicemen who died during the war in Vietnam .
Ambassador Nguyen Quoc Cuong made the pledge at the annual meeting of the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia in Washington DC on June 13.
He underlined Vietnam ’s position that it is a humanitarian action to cooperate with the US in recovering the fallen soldiers.
He noted that thanks to the two sides’ concerted efforts, the remains of 693 out of 1,983 missing US servicemen have been found in Vietnam .
Cuong praised the US ’s transfer of information shedding light on what may have happened to some of the 1,000 Vietnamese soldiers who went missing during the war. These sources include the wartime diary of doctor Dang Thuy Tram and possessions belonging to Vietnamese soldiers killed in action.
He called for more support from the US Government and social organisations, including the League, in helping the country deal with the remnants of the war, especially with Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin issues and bomb and mine clearance.
In a letter to the League, US Secretary of State John Kerry described Ambassador Cuong’s first-ever attendance at the annual meeting as a manifestation of the growing bilateral relationship between the two countries.
Established in 1970, the League’s sole purpose is to obtain the release of all prisoners, the fullest possible accounting for the missing and repatriation of all recoverable remains of those who died serving the US during the Vietnam War.-VNA
