[A-List] U.S., Vietnam: Former Foes Now "Military Mates"

[Tony B.]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Rick Rozoff
To: stopnato at yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, August 08, 2010 9:34 AM
Subject: [stopnato] U.S., Vietnam: Former Foes Now "Military Mates"



http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gUMael2GN4bo5IGD5wVmRBK2uANQD9HFAIQG0

Associated Press
August 8, 2010

Former enemies US, Vietnam now military mates

ABOARD THE USS GEORGE WASHINGTON: Cold War enemies the United States and 
Vietnam demonstrated their blossoming military relations Sunday as a U.S. 
nuclear supercarrier cruised in waters off the Southeast Asian nation's 
coast — sending a message that China is not the region's only big player.

The visit comes 35 years after the Vietnam War as Washington and Hanoi are 
cozying up in a number of areas, from negotiating a controversial deal to 
share civilian nuclear fuel and technology to agreeing that China needs to 
work with its neighbors to resolve territorial claims in the South China 
Sea.

The USS George Washington's stop is officially billed as a commemoration of 
last month's 15th anniversary of normalized diplomatic relations between the 
former foes. But the timing also reflects Washington's heightened interest 
in maintaining security and stability in the Asia-Pacific amid tensions 
following the sinking of a South Korean warship in March, which killed 46 
sailors. North Korea has been blamed for the attack, but has vehemently 
denied any involvement.

Last month during an Asian security meeting in Vietnam's capital, Hanoi, 
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton also angered China by 
unexpectedly calling on the Communist powerhouse to resolve territorial 
claims with neighboring Southeast Asian countries over islands in the South 
China Sea.

"The strategic implications and importance of the waters of the South China 
Sea and the freedom of navigation is vital to both Vietnam and the United 
States," Capt. Ross Myers, commander of the George Washington's air wing, 
said aboard the ship Sunday as fighter jets thundered off the flight deck 
above.
....
Chinese navy ships were seen shadowing the USS George Washington at a 
distance over the past several days as the supercarrier made its way 
throught the South China Sea along Vietnam's eastern coast, U.S. Navy 
officials said Sunday.

China claims the entire sea and the disputed Spratly and Paracel islands 
over which it exercises complete sovereignty. But Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, 
Brunei and the Philippines also have staked claims on all or some of the 
territory, which straddles vital shipping lanes, important fishing grounds 
and is believed rich in oil and natural gas reserves. Clinton announced that 
the U.S. has a national interest in seeing the claims resolved.
....
The formidable USS George Washington is a permanent presence in the Pacific, 
based in Japan. As one of the world's biggest warships, it is a floating 
city that can carry up to 70 aircraft, more than 5,000 sailors and aviators 
and about 4 million pounds (1.8 million kilograms) of bombs. It lurked 
Sunday about 200 miles (320 kilometers) off the central coast of Danang, 
Vietnam's jumping-off point for the disputed islands.

A group of high-ranking Vietnamese military officials was flown onto the 
carrier Sunday along with other Vietnamese government officials and the U.S. 
ambassador to the country.

The supercarrier came to Vietnam following four days of high-profile 
military exercises last month with South Korea aimed at showing solidarity 
following the sinking of the 1,200-ton Cheonan navy ship. The drills enraged 
Pyongyang and drew repeated criticism from its Chinese ally.

A Chinese newspaper ran a front-page story last week strongly hinting that 
China also is not happy about reports that Vietnam and the U.S. are 
negotiating a civilian nuclear fuel and technology deal that could allow 
Vietnam to enrich uranium on its own soil.

U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said China had not been 
consulted about the talks, but he would not discuss the specifics of the 
enrichment provision....

The aircraft carrier's visit is particularly symbolic as it cruises off the 
coast of central Danang, once the site of a bustling U.S. military base 
during the Vietnam War, which ended April 30, 1975, when northern communist 
forces seized control of the U.S.-backed capital of South Vietnam, reuniting 
the country.

Some 58,000 Americans and an estimated 3 million Vietnamese were killed 
during the war.

Relations have thrived since the former foes shook hands in 1995. The U.S. 
is Vietnam's top export market and Americans are the country's No. 1 foreign 
investor. Two-way trade reached $15.4 billion in 2009.

Military ties have also grown since the first U.S. warship ship visited Ho 
Chi Minh City in 2003, including high-level defense talks and training.

The USS John McCain destroyer will pay a port call to Vietnam later this 
week. The two navies are expected to have cultural exchanges along with 
training exercises, such as search and rescue operations.
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato

Blog site:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/

To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
rwrozoff at yahoo.com
or
stopnato-subscribe at yahoogroups.com

Daily digest option available.
==============================


__._,_.___
Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post | Start a New Topic
Messages in this topic (1)
Recent Activity: New Members 2
Visit Your Group
MARKETPLACE
Get great advice about dogs and cats. Visit the Dog & Cat Answers Center.




Hobbies & Activities Zone: Find others who share your passions! Explore new 
interests.




Stay on top of your group activity without leaving the page you're on - Get 
the Yahoo! Toolbar now.
  Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use.

__,_._,___