The US appreciated the goodwill and close and effective cooperation of
the Vietnamese Government and people in searching the remains of US
servicemen who died during the war in Vietnam .

W. Winfield, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Prisoner
of War/Missing Personnel Affairs (POW/MIA), made the statement during
his working visit to Vietnam from May 19-22.

During his stay in Vietnam, Winfield was received by Deputy Foreign
Minister Bui Thanh Son, Deputy Defence Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh and
Deputy Minister of Public Security To Lam.

He also
had a working session with Vietnamese agencies in charge of cooperation
in search for the remains of missing in action (MIA).

At the meetings, the two sides agreed that their bilateral cooperation
in this field in recent years has seen positive and practical
developments, contributing to boosting the multi-faceted ties between
Vietnam and the US . They also agreed to continue close coordination
to maintain this cooperation.

The Vietnamese side
acknowledged the US’s assistance in dealing with the consequences of
the war, including the detoxification of the Agent Orange/dioxin, bomb
and mine clearance, as well as providing information about Vietnamese
soldiers who died during the war.

Vietnam also
proposed the US side further increase humanitarian support,
especially for victims and localities hardest hit by the war.

On the occasion, the US delegation had a fact-finding trip to two MIA
excavation sites in central Quang Ngai and Thua Thien-Hue provinces.-VNA