Vietnam has strongly criticised America's House of Representatives after it passed an amendment linking US non-humanitarian assistance to Hanoi's human rights record.
A Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman has warned the amendment could affect Vietnamese-US cooperation on anti-terrorism issues and Washington's continued search for its soldiers missing in action from the Vietnam War.
She has described it as a serious violation of the basic principles of international law and relations between the two countries.
The AFP news agency says the amendment seeks to bar non-humanitarian aid to Vietnam unless Hanoi releases political prisoners and respects the rights of ethnic minorities.
However, even if the measure was to pass the Senate, the US president, George W Bush, has the power to waive sanctions.
17/07/2003 10:18:56 | ABC Radio Australia News
HANOI, Vietnam - Vietnam on Wednesday strongly condemned a proposed U.S. bill linking Hanoi's human rights record to non-humanitarian aid, warning that its passage could hurt future cooperation on issues including the search for U.S. troops missing in action.
The legislation "rekindles a very dangerous and unacceptable precedent in international relations in which economic, trade, cultural and educational relations are attached with political conditions," said a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry.
The statement warned the bill's passage "could have a negative impact on current increasing cooperation between Vietnam and the United States, including on some issues of U.S. concerns such as the fight against terrorism, transnational crimes, drug trafficking, the search for U.S. MIAs, and other humanitarian issues."
The so-called Vietnam human rights bill would cut off non-humanitarian aid to Vietnam unless the country makes "substantial" progress on ensuring religious and political freedom for its citizens.
The legislation, sponsored by Republican Rep. Christopher Smith (news, bio, voting record) of New Jersey, was an amendment to a bill that is expected to be debated by the U.S. House of Representatives.
The U.S. State Department and international human rights groups routinely accuse Vietnam of repressing political and religious dissent. The country's human rights record has come under increased scrutiny in recent months.
However, Vietnam insists that its citizens enjoy the freedoms of religion and speech, and that it only punishes lawbreakers.
Hanoi provoked an international outcry in June when it sentenced a 35-year-old dissident to 13 years jail on espionage charges because he'd circulated pro-democracy materials on the Internet.
A week later, Vietnam attempted to deflect some criticism by granting early release to the country's most prominent religious dissident, Thich Quang Do, the deputy leader of the banned Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam.