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

DATE: TUESDAY, September 14, 1993                   TAG: 9309140047
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: The Washington Post
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short

CLINTON RELAXES TRADE EMBARGO WITH VIETNAM

President Clinton relaxed the ban on trade with Vietnam on Monday to allow U.S. firms to bid on development projects there financed by the World Bank and other international agencies. But Clinton retained the embargo on most commercial dealings.

His action nudged the United States a bit closer to ending the hostile relations with Hanoi that go back more than a generation, but signaled that Clinton is not yet fully satisfied with Vietnam's cooperation in the search for U.S. servicemen still missing from the war.

The United States has diplomats in Hanoi, military teams roaming Vietnam to search for remains of missing soldiers and airmen and Pentagon researchers in Vietnamese archives.

This is the third time in less than a year that a U.S. president has modified the 18-year-old sanctions against Vietnam in a compromise that attempts to reward Hanoi for the help it has given on the MIA issue while keeping up the pressure on Vietnam to do more.

President Bush, just before leaving office, allowed U.S. firms to open offices in Vietnam and sign contracts to do business there once the embargo is lifted. In July, Clinton withdrew U.S. opposition to Vietnam's becoming eligible for loans from the the World Bank.

by CNB