US embassy cable - 03HANOI386

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 08 HANOI 000386 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE PLEASE PASS TO USTR HUNTSMAN AND EBRYAN 
STATE ALSO FOR E, EB AND EAP/BCLTV 
STATE ALSO PASS USAID FOR ANE/DEL MCCLUSKEY AND AFERRARA 
USDOC FOR 6500 AND 4431/MAC/AP/OKSA/VLC/HPPHO 
USDA FOR FAS/ITP/SHEIKH AND HUYNH 
GENEVA FOR USTR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETRD, EINV, ECON, EAID, PREL, OVIP, VM 
SUBJECT: Vietnam:  Second Annual U.S.-Vietnam BTA Joint 
Committee: Scenesetter  - the BTA at One Year 
 
1.  (U) Sensitive but Unclassified -- Please protect 
accordingly. 
 
-------- 
OVERVIEW 
-------- 
 
2. (SBU) Ensuring timely and effective implementation of the 
U.S.-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) continues to be 
the centerpiece of our economic relations with Vietnam.  The 
BTA continues to be our best tool to achieve a broad range 
of policy objectives in the coming years.  It is now 14 
months since the U.S. -Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement 
came into force on December 10, 2001 and almost one year 
since the USAID-funded Support for Trade AcceleRation (STAR) 
Project began working with the Vietnamese government, 
joining our other USG sponsored technical assistance 
programs provided by individual agencies and the U.S.- 
Vietnam Trade Council (USVTC).   The GVN has made 
significant changes since December 2001, although progress 
has been uneven.   The bulk of Vietnam's core commitments 
were due upon entry and we believe that the GVN is in most 
cases making a good faith effort to meet most of those 
obligations in the face of continued weak capacity.  The GVN 
spent much of the last year trying to formulate action plans 
for implementation by reviewing the legal framework and 
assessing needed changes to bring laws, rules, and 
regulations into conformity with the BTA.  The USG has been 
instrumental in assisting the GVN take on this sizeable and 
complicated task. 
 
3. (SBU) The trade playing field is starting to level slowly 
- US exports increased more than 30% in 2002, primarily due 
to lower tariffs but also due to increased interest in the 
market.  The GVN still plays a dominant role in Vietnam's 
economy but the private sector is seeing robust growth, with 
strong job creation and a growing percentage of industrial 
production.  International economic integration is 
proceeding with a number of AFTA commitments kicking in this 
year even if WTO accession talks are proceeding more slowly 
than expected.  Legal reform continues to occupy center 
stage in the GVN's implementation efforts, with several 
significant new or revised laws, rules, and regulations 
passed in 2002.  While the GVN is behind schedule in a 
number of areas, overall, progress is being made. We will be 
meeting with the Government of Vietnam (GVN) March 10 for 
the second annual U.S.-Vietnam Joint Committee under the BTA 
(following expert level talks on March 4-5).  The following 
scene setter provides Embassy review of the status of BTA 
implementation, an update on the progress of various 
technical assistance programs, and issues that should be 
highlighted at the Joint Committee. 
 
--------------------- 
The Honeymoon is Over 
--------------------- 
 
4. (SBU) When DUSTR Huntsman and then Minister of Trade Vu 
Khoan convened the first BTA JC last May, we were clearly 
still in the "honeymoon" period after the ratification and 
entry-into-force of the agreement.  The atmosphere for these 
talks has changed - the honeymoon is definitely over. Vu 
Khoan has moved up to the Deputy Prime Minister's office and 
former Minister of Trade and BTA negotiator Truong Dinh 
Tuyen has once again picked up the reigns at MOT.    The 
antidumping case on frozen fish fillets (or the fish 
formerly known as catfish) and threats of an antidumping 
case on shrimp have quickly dissipated much of the positive 
political capital that should have been accruing this year 
based on the tremendous success of Vietnam's exports to the 
U.S.  In addition, the US and Vietnam will have just begun, 
if not finished, textile negotiations - which will put in 
place an agreement to limit the exports to the U.S. of 
textiles - one of Vietnam's fastest growing export 
commodities this past year.  In many ways, the reality of 
the required BTA commitments has started to sink in and is 
perhaps at contrast with original expectations and 
understanding of what the BTA would do.   Many GVN officials 
viewed the BTA as the culmination of a process rather than 
the beginning, and have genuinely been surprised by recent 
trade disputes with the U.S. 
 
5. (SBU) We should acknowledge Vietnam's progress and 
encourage continued reform, while stressing the need for 
Vietnam to move more quickly to reflect its BTA commitments 
in law and in practice.  Many GVN officials either do not 
understand (or choose not to understand) which issues fall 
under the BTA and which fall under the category of general 
trade relations.  On the date of entry into force, the U.S. 
fully met all its obligations under the BTA; the GVN's 
obligations are phased in over 9 years and the GVN is still 
struggling to implement many obligations that were due upon 
entry.  Thus, any time there is an assessment of the 
progress of BTA implementation, the GVN, by default, bears 
the brunt of the criticism.  While the GVN may have 
legitimate complaints regarding the catfish antidumping 
case, they are also clearly searching for issues to raise 
under the BTA to "even the score", such as limitations on 
business visas or other "business facilitation" issues.  In 
addition, the GVN has and will likely continue to downplay 
the tremendous success Vietnam has seen on the trade side 
this past year.  In a period where Vietnamese exports to 
other countries either decreased or remained relatively 
static, exports to the U.S. increased more than 100 percent. 
By any definition, this is an impressive result.   In the 
MOT's official report on implementation sent to the Prime 
Minister in December, however, the MOT stated that although 
the trade relationship had taken some "promising steps in 
the spirit of the BTA. trade turnover figures between the 
two countries remain low, and some matters have arisen 
showing inequality in the trade relationship between the two 
countries, notably the catfish dispute." 
 
6. (SBU) The GVN has had difficulty in ensuring enforcement 
of BTA implementation at the provincial levels - a problem 
that, if not addressed more effectively by the GVN, will 
seriously impede Vietnam's ability to meet its BTA 
commitments - particularly in the area of investment.  With 
little ability to force provincial officials to toe the 
line, the GVN has focused on an information campaign 
regarding obligations under the BTA to try to bring those 
officials along - with only mild success.  One key GVN 
official argued that it is difficult to convince the 
provincial and local governments that the BTA will benefit 
them in the face of the frozen fish fillet and other trade 
disputes.  We need to impress upon the GVN that ultimately 
the central government alone bears the responsibility to 
ensure that central, provincial, and local government 
officials fully implement the BTA. 
 
------------------------ 
BTA - The WTO and Beyond 
------------------------ 
 
7. (SBU) This visit presents another important opportunity 
to remind the Vietnamese of the broader implications and 
benefits associated with implementation of the BTA.  The BTA 
is the GVN's most effective roadmap to reform consistent 
with international standards.  The reform and international 
integration efforts called for under the BTA are critical to 
the GVN's own growth and development objectives.  WTO member 
countries see Vietnam's progress in BTA implementation as an 
indication of how serious Vietnam is in its efforts to 
integrate.  If BTA implementation falters, Vietnam's efforts 
to accede to the WTO will be setback significantly.  We also 
need to remind the Vietnamese that the benefits of the BTA 
reach far beyond the quick boost in trade that lower tariffs 
promise; proper implementation will create in Vietnam the 
type of environment that will attract high quality 
investment and trade. 
 
------------------------------ 
Issues for the Joint Committee 
------------------------------ 
 
8.  (SBU) While other members of the delegation will have an 
opportunity in the "expert sessions" to explore fully the 
technical issues of implementation, there are a number of 
key themes that DUSTR Huntsman may wish to address in the 
plenary session on March 10. 
 
THEME ONE:  The U.S. already has fully implemented the BTA 
and opened wide its market to Vietnamese goods, services and 
investment.  Vietnam is already reaping significant benefits 
from this market access. 
--------------------------------------------- ------------- 
 
9.  (SBU) The overall tone of our discussion should be 
positive and cooperative, but we also must lay down 
appropriate markers that we will not ignore Vietnam's 
commitments and that greater effort must be made to stick to 
the implementation timetable.   We continue to need to 
stress the point that the U.S. has already fully implemented 
the BTA.  This is perhaps even more important now that much 
GVN rhetoric over the last year has focused on "lack of U.S. 
commitment" to the spirit if not the letter of the BTA due 
to the catfish antidumping case and other irritations in the 
bilateral economic relationship.  The GVN has sought to 
bring all disagreements under the rubric of the "spirit of 
the BTA."  MOT's year-end report on the status of BTA 
implementation concluded, ""Although the US undertook to 
liberalize trade, it has in fact erected barriers and needs 
to take anti-dumping and other measures." 
 
10. (SBU) The GVN has on several occasions implicitly and 
explicitly linked BTA implementation with favorable outcomes 
on unrelated issues - most specifically the frozen fish 
dumping case.  In October, during a meeting with USG 
officials, an official from the Office of the Government 
(the Prime Minister's office) attempted to explicitly link a 
"reasonable resolution" of the frozen fish fillet dumping 
case to progress on IPR and other BTA implementation issues. 
DPM Vu Khoan echoed this sentiment recently when he told 
news agencies that the decision by the USDOC that Vietnam is 
dumping frozen fish fillets on the U.S. market will "curb 
the acceleration of BTA implementation."  In addition, at 
the one-year anniversary of the BTA, the GVN seemed to make 
a conscious decision to downplay the enormously successful 
results on the trade side - not acknowledging that we had 
opened our markets fully and that Vietnam has benefited 
significantly. 
 
11. (SBU) The GVN has also failed to acknowledge when the 
U.S. is actively enforcing its BTA commitments, such as 
trademark protection.  The GVN has complained about several 
cases where competing trademark applications for Vietnamese 
products, such as Trung Nguyen (coffee) and PetroVietnam 
have been filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. 
Although the cases are being handled appropriately, i.e. in 
a transparent and legalistic manner, the GVN has attempted 
to link the lack of political intervention in the process as 
evidence of a lack of will by the USG to uphold its 
commitments, stating that "the US has complained that 
Vietnam is late in implementing TRIPS, whereas in fact under 
the BTA both sides are in breach." 
 
THEME TWO:  The U.S. and Vietnam have worked together in a 
positive and constructive manner to assist the GVN in its 
reform effort and implementation of the BTA. 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
 
12. (SBU) The progress over the last year across the board 
on cooperative, constructive engagement has been 
significant.  USG agencies and our technical assistance 
providers have worked with the GVN on issues ranging from 
training for Supreme Court justices to international 
arbitration to rule of law and sectoral issues like tariff 
reform, insurance, and banking reform.  USG technical 
assistance and our providers are working with more than 40 
government ministries, departments, agencies and local 
people's committees.  The breadth and depth of this effort 
should be highlighted and commended on both sides.  We 
should stress that we place a priority on continued positive 
momentum and real results. 
 
THEME THREE:  Vietnam has made commendable progress in 
implementing new legislation, but many laws, regulations and 
administrative practices do not yet meet BTA obligations. 
Despite this, we expect that U.S. nationals, products and 
companies will be accorded BTA treatment even when existing 
regulations are contradictory. 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
 
13. (SBU) Over the last year, a number of important laws 
have been drafted or revised, such as the Law on the 
Promulgation of Legal Normative Documents ("Law on Laws") 
and the Ordinance on Most Favored Nation and National 
Treatment, bringing them closer to BTA compliance but in 
some cases still falling short.  Additionally, numerous 
others remain inconsistent with BTA obligations that were 
due upon entry-into force, due at the one year mark or are 
due in the near future.  While acknowledging the depth and 
breadth of the Vietnamese effort to reform the legal 
framework, we should strongly emphasize that regardless of 
the status of reform of laws and regulations, we expect that 
Vietnam will meet its commitments and provide assurances 
that U.S. nationals, products, and companies will be 
accorded BTA treatment even when existing regulations are 
contradictory. 
 
THEME FOUR:  Normal, active trade and economic 
relationships require regular dialogue.  Encourage Vietnam 
to work with us on a daily basis to resolve ongoing issues 
on both sides. The key is to work together to resolve 
issues in a cooperative manner. 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
 
14. (SBU) The GVN tends to see political messages behind 
even minor technical trade/economic issues and thus often 
reserves problems or concerns for discussion at high-level 
meetings, such at the annual Joint Committee meetings. 
While we will always have a mismatch of delegation of 
authority (i.e. we make decisions at much lower levels), 
this preference for a more formal route for what may be 
mundane or minor issues is a less-than-efficient use of 
senior officials time.  Additionally, many of the questions, 
problems, and issues that have been informally proposed for 
Joint Committee meetings could easily be resolved through 
informal working level discussions (for example questions 
about SA8000 certification).  We should stress that as our 
economic relations expand, issues will arise - it is a 
normal if somewhat unfortunate situation.  We should 
encourage the GVN to relay issues as they come up so that 
they can be addressed quickly in the appropriate forum. 
 
-------------------------------- 
General update on implementation 
-------------------------------- 
 
Trade in Goods 
-------------- 
 
15. (U) MFN/National Treatment for Imports:  Vietnam did 
enact an NT and MFN ordinance this year which covers goods 
as well as services, and investment (Hanoi 1766) and that's 
a good start.  However, a broad array of regulations related 
to VAT taxes, special inspection and quality-control 
requirements and rules for trading that are not applied 
equally to domestic goods remain inconsistent with Vietnam's 
commitments to provide national treatment, except for 
exempted goods.  Vietnam is currently working to bring these 
regulations into conformity but we need to stress we expect 
BTA treatment regardless. 
 
16. (U) In 2002 the USAID-funded STAR project provided the 
GVN with detailed analysis of key pieces of legislation 
related to the Trade in Goods chapter of the BTA including 
the draft Ordinance on Commercial Arbitration, the draft 
Commercial Law, and the draft Ordinance on E-Commerce.  STAR 
also provided training and workshops on E-Commerce, trade 
policy procedures and customs issues.  USG-funded technical 
assistance projects related to trade in goods planned for 
2003 include: 
 
-- (STAR) Follow-up assistance in revising and implementing 
the draft Ordinance on Commercial Arbitration and the draft 
Commercial Law. 
 
-- (STAR) Training and technical assistance for Customs on 
meeting BTA obligations. 
 
-- (STAR, USDOC) Support for a conference on trade-related 
technical standards for the Ministry of Science and 
Technology (MOST). 
 
-- (STAR) Provide support to the Ministry of Fisheries in 
implementing BTA obligations. 
 
-- (USVTC) A study tour in the U.S. on technical regulations 
and standards.  Participants will include:  GVN officials 
from the MOT, MOST, the Ministry of Health (MOH), and the 
Ministry of Industry (MOI) as well as the National Assembly. 
 
-- (USVTC) A study tour in the U.S. on Sanitary and 
Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures.  Participants will include: 
GVN officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural 
Development (MARD), MOH and MOT. 
 
Intellectual Property Rights 
---------------------------- 
 
17. (SBU) Vietnam has come a long way in revising 
legislation to bring its IPR laws into compliance with its 
BTA commitments, but gaps remain.  Commitments related to 
trademarks and patents were due 12 months after entry into 
force (December 2002); commitments on copyright and trade 
secrets are due in May 2003.  The main issue continues to be 
 
SIPDIS 
lack of IPR enforcement, particularly with respect to 
copyrights and trademarks.  Vietnam committed in the BTA, 
upon entry-into-force, to enforce existing laws, the U.S.- 
Vietnam Copyright Agreement, and the Paris Convention.  No 
such routine and reliable enforcement exists.  While there 
have been some well-publicized raids over the last year, 
they are few, ineffective and prompted by the 
copyright/trademark holders with little to no independent 
action by GVN authorities. 
 
18. (U) Microsoft, for example, worked with HCMC law 
enforcement officials earlier this year to raid shops 
selling pirated Microsoft software.  Authorities raided 6 or 
7 of the probably hundreds of shops in the city which openly 
sell pirated software.  Only nominal fees were levied (12 
million Dong per violator, or approximately USD 780), there 
has apparently been no follow up by local authorities, and 
the shops quickly re-opened.  Although the raids can be seen 
as a positive first step, clearly much needs to be done 
before Vietnam can be considered serious in addressing IPR 
enforcement concerns. 
 
19. (U) In 2002 the STAR program supported several seminars, 
workshops and conferences on IPR for judges, court 
officials, government officials, business leaders and IP- 
related agencies.  STAR also sent a delegation from the 
Supreme People's Court to Thailand to learn about Thailand's 
specialized IP court.  USG-funded technical assistance 
projects related to IPR planned for 2003 include: 
 
-- (STAR) Support the Ministry of Culture and Information 
(MOCI) in the development of stronger regulations for 
optical disc production and distribution. 
 
-- (STAR) Provide detailed comments to the Ministry of 
Justice (MOJ) on the revision of Part VI of the Civil Code, 
which establishes the legal basis for IP protection in 
Vietnam. 
 
-- (STAR) Support GVN efforts to meet the standards 
necessary to accede to the IP conventions cited in the BTA. 
 
-- (STAR) Provide support to the Supreme People's Court and 
Customs in meeting BTA IPR-related obligations. 
 
-- (USVTC) Conduct a study tour to the U.S. on IPR issues, 
particularly those related to Special 301.  Participants 
will include officials from the MOCI. 
 
-- (USVTC) Conduct a study tour to the U.S. on IPR 
enforcement issues.  Participants will include:  GVN 
officials from the MOCI, MOST, Customs, and the Supreme 
People's Court. 
 
Trade in Services 
----------------- 
 
20. (U) Vietnam's commitments to provide increased market 
access, MFN and National treatment to US service providers 
are phased in over 2 to 9 years after entry-into-force of 
the agreement (depending on the sector).  However, in some 
areas Vietnam has begun on a case-by-case basis to grant 
greater access by U.S. firms in advance of its BTA 
obligations in some limited sectors (insurance, banking). 
 
21. (U) In 2002 STAR organized workshops, a study tour, and 
provided detailed comments on revisions to the draft Decree 
on Foreign Lawyers.  STAR also supported workshops and 
conferences on E-Commerce, telecommunications, and financial 
services.  USVTC conducted a study tour to the U.S. on WTO 
services issues.  In addition, in cooperation with the 
Embassy, the Pacific Investment Management Company (PIMCO) 
hosted a two-day seminar for key GVN and State Bank 
officials in early January related to banking reform, and 
plans to host another seminar at the end of February.  USG- 
funded technical assistance projects related to Trade in 
Services planned for 2003 include: 
 
-- (STAR) Provide technical support to the Ministry of Post 
and Telecommunications (MPT), the State Bank of Vietnam 
(SBV), the Ministry of Construction and the Ministry of 
Finance (MOF) on BTA implementation issues related to 
telecommunications, construction and financial services. 
 
-- (USVTC) Conduct a study tour to the U.S. focused on 
implementation of BTA obligations related to 
telecommunications services and banking and financial 
services.  Participants will include:  GVN officials from 
the MPT, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS), the Ministry 
of Planning and Investment (MPI), the Office of the 
Government and the National Assembly. 
 
-- (USVTC) Conduct a study tour to the U.S. on banking and 
financial sector development.  Participants will include: 
officials from the SBV, the MOF and the Office of the 
Government. 
 
Investment 
---------- 
 
22. (U) The 2000 revised Law on Foreign Investment 
represents a significant step forward in bringing the GVN's 
investment regime into compliance with the BTA.  However, 
Vietnam still has much work to do to bring its laws and 
regulations on foreign investment fully into conformity with 
BTA obligations that were due upon entry-into-force.  Most 
of the inconsistencies are related to a lack of national 
treatment.   Additionally, even where the laws are clear, 
the GVN has had difficulty enforcing them at the provincial 
and local levels.   Enforcement of arbitral awards and the 
courts interpretation of Vietnam's obligations under the New 
York Convention are other areas for particular concern. 
 
23. (SBU) At the First BTA Joint Committee, we raised the 
case of McCullagh Krong Ana Joint Venture, which involves a 
U.S. company involved in a joint venture in Dak Lak province 
that has been trying to buy out its Vietnamese partner since 
1998.  Both the partner and MPI have approved the buyout. 
However, the Provincial Department of Planning and 
Investment in Dak Lak refuses to allow the transaction to 
occur. The case potentially violates the National Treatment, 
MFN and technology transfer portions of the investment 
chapter. We are continuing to press the GVN to resolve this 
issue. 
 
24. (SBU) In a second case, the Mission has been assisting 
Tyco Services Singapore since 2001 in its attempts to get 
two arbitral awards enforced in Vietnam.  In January the 
Vietnamese Supreme Court reversed a May 2002 landmark 
decision by the Ho Chi Minh City Economic Court (supported 
by the Ministry of Justice) that would have recognized an 
international arbitral award for the first time.  We believe 
that this case highlights the current lack of understanding 
at the highest judicial levels of modern, market-based 
normal business transactions (in particular the definition 
of a commercial transaction or contract), Vietnam's 
international obligations, and a continuing lack of 
transparency in legal decisions.  It also raises questions 
about Vietnam's ability to live up to its obligations under 
the BTA and the New York Convention.  We understand that 
Tyco officials are considering requesting a review of the 
Supreme Court decision.  We recommend that this issue be 
raised in the BTA Joint Committee meeting, not to argue the 
merits of the case but to stress our expectation that U.S. 
businesses will be treated fairly by the Judicial system and 
that international commitments will be respected. 
 
25. (U) In 2002 STAR supported the MPI in the development 
and publication of an "Investment Guidebook for Vietnam" and 
provided MPI with detailed comments on proposed amendments 
to Decree 24 on investment procedures.   In October, USVTC 
hosted a delegation of eight inter-ministerial officials to 
the U.S. to look at issues relating to Vietnam's membership 
in the International Center for the Settlement of Investment 
Disputes (ICSID).   USG-funded technical assistance projects 
related to Investment planned for 2003 include: 
 
-- (STAR) Provide support to MPI in its efforts to revise 
the Law on Foreign Investment. 
 
-- (STAR) Provide training related to implementing ICSID 
procedures. 
 
-- (STAR) Support MPI in 1) developing a website for 
disseminating information on foreign investment policies and 
procedures and 2) developing a systematic analysis of the 
difficulties faced by foreign investors in Vietnam. 
 
-- (USVTC) Conduct a study tour to the U.S. on investment 
and investment disputes. 
 
-- (USVTC) Conduct follow-on workshops on accession to 
ICSID. 
 
Business Facilitation 
--------------------- 
 
26. (SBU) The GVN may raise the issue of business visas for 
Vietnamese nationals.  On many occasions the GVN has 
complained about 1) visa issuance requirements (which have 
resulted in the refusal of applicants); how long the 
application process takes; and 3) the short length of stay 
allowed in the U.S.  Post will provide DUSTR Huntsman and 
participants in the "expert sessions" with background and 
talking points on this issue upon arrival in Hanoi. 
 
Transparency 
------------ 
 
27. (SBU) Vietnam moved forward on efforts to enhance 
transparency, but Vietnam's laws, regulations, and rule- 
making processes are still far from compliant with this 
obligation.  After much debate, the National Assembly passed 
a revised "Law on Laws" at the end of 2002, which is 
supposed to provide the legal framework for many of the 
changes related to transparency commitments that were due 
upon implementation.   While the revised law made noteworthy 
improvements, it still does not conform with BTA 
obligations.  Of particular concern, the revised law 1) does 
not adequately address the issue of public comment and 2) 
does not include GVN orders, decisions, directives or 
circulars in the definition of a "legal normative document." 
 
28. (SBU) Although many GVN officials will admit that in the 
cases where Vietnam has circulated draft laws and 
regulations to industry and technical assistance providers, 
the end result has been much better laws and rules, the 
National Assembly saw the issue of public comment in terms 
of national sovereignty and deleted that provision from the 
final version of the revised law. Likewise, when new rules 
have been published well in advance of their effectiveness, 
implementation has been much smoother and the rules have 
been much better received by the business community. 
 
29. (SBU) However, Vietnam has not yet instituted a formal 
regime to publish all laws, regulations, and administrative 
practices promptly in a centralized source and in advance of 
implementation to give companies an opportunity to adjust 
their operations accordingly, and to provide opportunity for 
input into the formulation process.  We have been trying to 
follow this issue closely and work with US firms to ensure 
that any lack of transparency regarding new rules and 
regulations does not have a negative impact on their 
operations.  There have been some noteworthy cases; at the 
top of the list was a December 2002 decision by the Ministry 
of Finance, which would have doubled import tariffs on auto 
kits.  The decision was based on a non-public "official 
letter" from the Prime Minister and although it was due to 
take effect on January 1, as of December 18, it had not yet 
been issued publicly, published in the Official Gazette or 
officially conveyed to the auto producers.  (MOF 
subsequently agreed to "delay" the decision.) 
 
30. (U) In 2002 STAR supported the Office of the 
Government's efforts to develop an "Action Plan for 
Transparency," provided detailed comments on proposed 
revisions to the Law on Laws and the draft Decree on the 
Official Gazette, and hosted conferences and workshops on 
transparency related obligations.  USG-funded technical 
assistance projects related to transparency planned for 2003 
include: 
 
-- (STAR) Support GVN efforts to further revise the Law on 
Laws and improve the legal framework for the Official 
Gazette. 
 
-- (STAR) Support the MOJ in drafting a new "Law on 
Promulgation of Local Level Legal Normative Documents." 
 
-- (STAR) Support efforts to improve publication of laws and 
court decisions at all levels of government. 
 
Burghardt