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Vietnamese Prime Minister to resign

P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE: Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai has officially asked the National Assembly's permission to resign, on the ground of old age, more than a year before the completion of his current term.

Born in 1933, Mr. Khai became Prime Minister in 1997, after having served as Deputy Prime Minister for six years. He has piloted Vietnam through the Asian financial crisis and negotiated the country's possible admission to the World Trade Organisation sometime this year.

Until nightfall on Saturday, there was no formal announcement about the National Assembly's acceptance of his resignation, though some foreign diplomats and observers in Hanoi indicated that he had received the approval.

Contacted by The Hindu , a Vietnamese official confirmed Mr. Khai's resignation move.

The Prime Minister's initiative for leadership change follows the permission he received from the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam, at its tenth congress, to retire from the political scene and give up the top administrative office.

Mr. Khai has now informed the National Assembly that he wished to nominate Nguyen Tan Dung for the post of Prime Minister. The 56-year-old Mr. Dung is now Deputy Prime Minister. Mr. Khai wanted his successor to have plenipotentiary powers so that he could preside over the prospective summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. The summit, to be hosted by Vietnam, will be held in November. Several leaders, including those from the United States and China, are expected to attend the event.

Under Mr. Khai's two terms as Prime Minister, Vietnam has registered an economic growth rate of 7.5 per cent. He has also played a pivotal role in the passage of Enterprise Law in 2000 that catalysed growth under a socialist market economy, according to regional observers.

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