Vietnam Seeking Fast Track With U.S. Officials Greet Christopher With Long List Of Economic Requests

Vietnam began pressing hard Saturday for a series of economic benefits from the United States after finally obtaining the formal diplomatic ties that open the way for those privileges.

Hours after Secretary of State Warren Christopher arrived here to formalize a diplomatic relationship with Hanoi’s Communist government, Vietnamese officials gave the secretary of state a detailed list of American trade and commercial programs and benefits they want to obtain.

These requests underscored the fact that although the United States and Vietnam have just established diplomatic relations, the two countries have considerably different ideas about what happens next.

Vietnamese Foreign Minister Nguyen Manh Cam told Christopher that economics should be the “focus” of the new relationship between America and Vietnam - a warning that the United States should stay away from sensitive political questions such as democracy and human rights.

In contrast, the American secretary of state asserted that human rights is an important aspect of the new ties between the two countries. And he said the United States will continue to press hard for more information about the approximately 1,600 Americans who fought in the Vietnam War and are still listed as missing in action in Vietnam.

Christopher talked repeatedly of the history and symbolism of his visit, the first ever by a U.S. secretary of state to Hanoi.

“One of the most divisive chapters in American history is going to be put behind us,” he said, referring to the war that ended 20 years ago. He said the establishment of diplomatic ties with Vietnam “gives us an opportunity to establish a new set of memories.”

At the top of the list of benefits Vietnam wants is Most-Favored-Nation trade status, a benefit enjoyed by most of the nations with which the United States has diplomatic relations. These MFN benefits would enable Vietnam to export goods to the United States with the same low duties enjoyed by other countries.

Cam also asked the Clinton administration to make it easier for American companies to invest in Vietnam by opening the way for the companies to obtain insurance from the Export-Import Bank and the Overseas Private Investment Corp.

In addition, he said Vietnam wants to negotiate a tax treaty and aviation and maritime agreements with the United States. And he asked for help with Trade Development Assistance, a program that helps countries like Vietnam to develop trade ties.

So quick and determined was Hanoi’s effort to obtain economic benefits that Christopher warned Vietnamese officials to slow down. He said that “while we want to move ahead, they have to be a little bit patient,” according to State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns.

Christopher said at a news conference that the job of negotiating a trade pact with Vietnam is “one that we’re going to start on right away, with the aim of getting it done as soon as possible.”

Congress could seek to block the trade agreement or any of the other benefits for Vietnam, such as MostFavored-Nation status, that might follow from it. A number of conservative congressmen remain opposed to the normalization of relations with Vietnam, and some have said they will try to block any further upgrading of ties.