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Obama lifts arms embargo on Vietnam

US President Barack Obama has lifted a 50 year old arms embargo on Vietnam, in an announcement made at a joint press conference with the Vietnamese President in Hanoi on Monday, amid criticism from human rights groups.

Making the announcement, Mr Obama said the weapons sales will be made on a case-by-case basis and “will need to still meet strict requirements, including those on human rights, but this change ensures Vietnam has access to equipment it needs to defend itself”.

"Hearts can change and peace is possible," he added.

Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang hailed the move, stating it would bring an end to a “painful chapter” between the two countries.

Stating that the relationship between the two countries has “reached a new moment”, Mr Obama also denied that the decision was made due to any geopolitical concerns regarding China.

"The decision to lift the ban was not based on China or any other considerations. It was based on our desire to complete what has been a lengthy process of moving towards normalization with Vietnam," he said.

A spokeswoman for China’s foreign ministry Hua Chunying seemed to welcome the decision, stating “as a close neighbor to Vietnam, we welcome (a) normal and cooperative relationship between Vietnam and other countries, and we certainly hope such development of bilateral relations is conducive to regional peace and security”.

She went on to add, “the arms embargo is the product of the Cold War. It should not have existed. We hope for a normal relationship between the US and Vietnam”.

Writing in the New York Times Secretary of State John Kerry wrote alongside other Vietnam veterans John McCain and Bob Kerrey, stating “the process of restoring relations was arduous and required full cooperation by Hanoi in developing information about Americans missing or unaccounted for from the conflict — an effort that continues today”.

“Human rights are universal, and we have made clear to the leaders in Hanoi our strong belief that Vietnam will reach its full potential only if and when its people have the right to express themselves freely in the arenas of politics, labor, the media and religion,” they added.

The US administration’s decision came under fire from human rights groups, with Phil Robertson, the deputy director and Asia director of Human Rights Watch, stating, “as Obama was lifting the US arms embargo, the Vietnam authorities were busy arresting journalist Doan Trang and other human rights activists and bloggers on the street and in their houses”.

“In one fell swoop, President Obama has jettisoned what remained of US leverage to improve human rights in Vietnam and basically got nothing for it,” he added.

A New York Times editorial last week also urged Mr Obama to “not feel obliged to give Vietnam’s authoritarian government what it wants — a complete lifting of the embargo on arms shipments imposed during the war, unless it takes credible steps toward addressing serious human rights abuses. Still, there are many points of agreement”.

“If he does lift the arms ban, Mr Obama and Congress should move cautiously,” it continued.

 

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