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Banquet Given for Nong Duc Manh

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK via Korea News Service (KNS)

   Pyongyang, October 16 (KCNA) -- The Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea hosted a banquet at the Mokran House Tuesday in honor of Nong Duc Manh, Secretary General of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam on a visit to the DPRK.
    Present there on invitation together with Nong Duc Manh were Pham Gia Khiem, member of the Political Bureau of the C.C., the Communist Party of Vietnam who is also deputy prime minister and foreign minister, and Tran Van Hang, chairman of the Commission for External Affairs of the Party Central Committee, Ngo Van Du, chief of the General Office of the Party Central Committee, and Hoang Tuan Anh, minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, who are members of the Party Central Committee, Le Van Cu, Vietnamese ambassador to the DPRK, and other suite members and members of the Vietnamese embassy here.
    On hand were Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, Kim Il Chol, minister of the People's Armed Forces, Kim Ki Nam, secretary of the Central Committee of the WPK, Ro Tu Chol, vice-premier of the Cabinet, Pak Nam Gi and Ri Kwang Ho, department directors of the WPK Central Committee, Pak Ui Chun, foreign minister, Kang Nung Su, minister of Culture, Ma Chol Su, DPRK ambassador to Vietnam, and leading officials of party, armed forces and power organs, ministries and national institutions.
    Kim Yong Nam made a speech at the banquet. He said that the Vietnamese people are now steadily advancing socialism as intended by President Ho Chi Minh despite the intensified moves of the imperialists and reactionaries and striving to enhance the influence and position of the country in the international arena under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam headed by Secretary General Nong Duc Manh.
    The WPK and the Korean people follow this with deep attention and sincerely wish the Vietnamese people greater success in the work to implement the decision of the 10th Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam and realize the industrialization and modernization of the country at an early date, he noted.
    It is the common aspiration of the two peoples at present to develop the friendly relations between the two parties and two countries based on the particular comradely bonds of the revolutionary forerunners as required by the new century, he said, expressing the belief that the friendly relations between the two parties and two countries would grow stronger thanks to their joint efforts.
    Nong Duc Manh spoke next.
    He expressed the sincere thanks of the Vietnamese people to the fraternal Korean party, government and people for supporting and encouraging the struggle for the independence, freedom and reunification of the country in the past period and the present cause of building and defending Vietnam, the socialist country.
    We always set store by the traditional relations of friendship and cooperation between the two parties, two countries and two peoples of Vietnam and the DPRK personally provided by President Ho Chi Minh and President Kim Il Sung and give assurances that we will make every effort to steadily consolidate and develop them, he noted, and went on:
    Vietnam has consistently supported the desire of the Korean people for the peaceful reunification of the country and hails the recent progress made at the six-party talks and the results of the second meeting of the top leaders of the north and the south of Korea. And it is ready to positively contribute to promoting peace, stability and cooperation on the Korean Peninsula and supports the expansion of cooperation between the DPRK and ASEAN and its member nations.
    We highly appreciate the results of the current high-level talks between Vietnam and the DPRK and believe that the traditional relations of friendship and cooperation between the two parties, two countries and two peoples of Vietnam and the DPRK would enter into a new phase of stable, realistic and effective development thanks to the efforts of both sides.
    The banquet took place in a friendly atmosphere.
    An art performance was given by the State Merited Chorus of the Korean People's Army at the banquet.