International
N Korea, Myanmar should follow Vietnam: Rice http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?slug=%27N+Korea%2C+Myanmar+should+follow+Vietnam%27&id=96610
Saturday, November 18, 2006 (Hanoi):
North Korea and Myanmar should follow Vietnam's example in joining the international community and opening their economies to the rest of the world, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Saturday.
Rice, in a speech to business executives attending an annual Asia-Pacific economic conference, praised Vietnam for its success in reforming its economy and "overcoming the past" in seeking closer ties with the United States.
Washington would like to work with North Korea and Myanmar, also known as Burma, but can't until their governments choose to abide by international norms, she said.
"If the leaders of North Korea and Burma were to follow the example of Vietnam, if they make the strategic choice and take the necessary steps to join the international community, it will open a new path of peace and opportunity," Rice said.
She accused the two governments of rejecting cooperation and "isolating their countries from the prosperity of the region."
"Nothing will be better for the people of those countries than their integration into an international community that I can assure you would welcome them, too, to a future of hope and prosperity," she said.
US President George W Bush and other leaders were expected to discuss North Korea's nuclear programme and democratic reforms in military-ruled Myanmar in two days of summit meetings that began on Saturday.
Rice said the US would continue to raise concerns over issues such as Vietnam's human rights record and its limits on freedom of worship. (AP)