ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, April 8, 1997 TAG: 9704080076
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-2 EDITION: METRO
U.S., Vietnam sign pact to pay war debt
HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam - Hanoi will repay the wartime debt of its defeated foe under a pact signed Monday by U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin and Vietnamese officials.
The agreement calls for Hanoi to repay $146 million worth of the former South Vietnam's loans.
South and North Vietnam merged in 1975 when North Vietnamese troops captured Saigon, which was renamed Ho Chi Minh City.
The overdue loans date to when Washington was channeling hundreds of millions of dollars into South Vietnam to try to prop up its government.
Hanoi will repay four loans used for grain imports, road building and power development.
About $76 million of the wartime debt is principal from agricultural and development loans. The remainder is interest payments, the Treasury Department said.
Vietnam is to make an initial $8.5 million payment to Washington, with full repayment scheduled over 21 years.
-ASSOCIATED PRESS
Americans urged to avoid public places in Bahrain
MANAMA, Bahrain - Wary of terrorist threats, the U.S. Embassy on Monday urged Americans to avoid clubs, restaurants and other public places in Bahrain.
``The embassy continues to receive information of possible terrorist threats to the U.S. military in the region, including Bahrain,'' said a recorded message on the embassy ``hot line'' that the public can access.
``In response to these threats, the Navy has restricted liberty and barred visits to clubs, bars and restaurants until further notice,'' it said, adding that American civilians also should avoid such establishments.
About 2,500 Americans live and work in Bahrain, including about 1,000 in the military.
-ASSOCIATED PRESS
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