
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, July 12, 1993                   TAG: 9307120086
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: BANGKOK, THAILAND                                LENGTH: Short

SENATOR SAYS POWS ALIVE, RIPS PENTAGON

A senior Senate Republican, saying he believes evidence suggests that American prisoners are still alive in Vietnam, accused Pentagon investigators Sunday of doing a sloppy job investigating reports of "live sightings" of the missing men.

But Sen. Robert C. Smith, R-N.H., also appeared to be moderating his opposition to the lifting of a U.S. trade embargo against the Vietnamese government. That could provide significant ammunition for President Clinton when the question of renewing the trade ban comes up in September.

Smith said it appeared that because U.S. intelligence could not find the prisoners he believes are still being held, "maybe normalization is the answer."

Veterans groups and relatives of Americans listed as missing in action in Vietnam have opposed lifting the embargo on the grounds that it is the only leverage the United States has to force the Vietnamese to provide more information about their fate. Smith's comments appeared to suggest a change in the thinking of some holding that position.

Clinton took a major step on the road to normalizing relations with Vietnam 10 days ago when he announced that the United States would no longer block other countries from settling Vietnam's debt with the International Monetary Fund. The move cleared the way for international agencies such as the World Bank to resume lending to Vietnam and for other countries such as Japan, which had observed the U.S. embargo, to begin providing bilateral assistance.

-Los Angeles Times

by CNB