PRESS RELEASE

February 1, 2008

U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Michael Michalak Meets with Vietnamese and American Members of the “Dialogue Group” to Discuss Dioxin Remediation Efforts

Hanoi, February 1, 2008 -- Ambassador Michael Michalak met today with members of the U.S.-Vietnam Dialogue Group on Agent Orange/Dioxin to exchange views and to update the members on recent U.S. initiatives to support environmental remediation and health activities.  The Dialogue Group members include prominent Vietnamese and Americans involved in the issue, many of whom were present at today’s meeting.

The Ambassador briefed the group on U.S. plans for expending the $3 million appropriated in the 2007 supplemental bill that is to be used for “environmental remediation and health activities” in Vietnam.  He told members of the Dialogue Group that final steps are being taken to determine how these funds will be spent.  While these plans are being formulated, the United States has remained active on other Agent Orange/Dioxin-related remediation fronts.  Here are just a few examples: 

• In February 2007, the United States announced, and then later implemented $400,000 in technical assistance to support mitigation planning in Danang.  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-funded technical experts worked closely with their Vietnamese Government counterparts to complete the containment measures at the Danang “hotspot,” which were finished in December 2007.  As part of these efforts, the EPA provided a three-day worker health and safety training in Danang for Ministry of Defense staff in preparation for the interim mitigation activities at the Danang airport. 

• In June 2007, the U.S. Department of Defense provided the Vietnamese with detailed historical information about Agent Orange loading and storage in Vietnam. 

• That same month, the U.S. Embassy and Office 33 (the Vietnamese coordinating office responsible for Agent Orange/dioxin issues) co-hosted a scientific presentation on the ecological fate of dioxin, which provided an opportunity to share scientific information and research methodologies on long-term environmental studies.

• In August 2007, the U.S.-Vietnam Joint Advisory Committee met in Hanoi and provided consensus recommendations for environmental remediation, public health improvements, and capacity building. 

The United States works closely and cooperatively with the Vietnamese Government, including Office 33, and other partners to determine feasible and effective projects, in particular to address issues related to high levels of dioxin in “hotspot” areas where the material was previously stored.  The United States looks forward to joining in further multilateral efforts, and is encouraged by our discussions with other donors interested in continuing or initiating assistance efforts in this area.  We believe that U.S. engagement has catalyzed these efforts, and we look forward to integrating and coordinating our projects with those of our partners.

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