Religion issues dog Vietnam trade vote: US senator

By Doug Palmer

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Concerns about the freedom of
religion in Vietnam could delay U.S. Senate action on a
landmark bill to establish permanent normal trade relations, a
top U.S. senator said on Wednesday.

“I’m running into some members who are raising questions
about religious freedom in Vietnam and not wanting to vote on
it too soon,” Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles
Grassley, an Iowa Republican, told reporters.

Vietnam, the fastest-growing economy in Southeast Asia, has
agreed to cut agricultural and industrial tariffs and to open
up more than 100 services sectors including banking, insurance,
and telecommunications as part of a deal with the United States
to join the World Trade Organization.

As its part of the bargain, the United States must approve
permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) with Vietnam by
removing it from a dwindling list of countries still subject to
a Cold War provision known as Jackson-Vanik, which ties U.S.
trade relations to emigration and other human rights concerns.

It’s possible the full Senate could vote on the Vietnam
bill before it leaves in early August for a month-long recess,
but some senators first want Vietnam to certify what it intends
to do to improve religious rights, Grassley said.

At a Senate Finance Committee hearing last week, a State
Department official said Vietnam has made “significant and
sustained progress” toward improving religious freedom since
the United States put it on a watchlist in 2004.

Hanoi has revised its legal framework to guarantee freedom
of belief and religion, protect churches from harassment and
believers from being forced to renounce their faith, Deputy
Assistant Secretary of State Eric John told the panel.

Problems continue, but reports of religious rights
“violations have sharply declined in number while evidence of
positive developments have multiplied,” John said.

Meanwhile, Grassley said he remained concerned the Vietnam
bill could become “a magnet for a lot of anti-China, anti-trade
amendments,” even if religious concerns are resolved.

If senators want to turn the vote on PNTR into a political
fight over U.S. trade policy, “that’s going to make it more
difficult” to get the bill passed, Grassley said.

Even if the Senate does approve PNTR in the next few weeks,
the House of Representatives is not expected to vote on the
measure until after the August recess.

Vietnam hopes to be a full-fledged member of the WTO by the
time it hosts President George W. Bush and other leaders for
the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit meeting in
November.