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WORLD NEWS Friday 5 OctOber 2018

Vietnam nominates Communist Party chief to become president

Associated Press to supervise power to avoid nomic policies will remain
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — the abuse of power if the unchanged," he wrote in
Vietnam's ruling Commu- power is concentrated too an institute publication on
nist Party has nominated much in an individual," he Thursday. "In political terms,
its general secretary for said Thursday. however, the concen-
the additional post of presi- Doanh said it's unclear trated power structure will
dent, succeeding President whether the country's next make the Vietnamese po-
Tran Dai Quang, who died leader will also hold both litical system more unitary
last month, and ending a positions, and the party and less pluralistic. While
decades-long policy of would decide based on such a power structure
separating top leadership the particular candidate. may be more efficient un-
positions. Speaking at a regular brief- der certain circumstances,
The government said in a ing, Foreign Ministry spokes- it will also generate certain
statement that members of woman Le Thi Thu Hang risks as the whole political
the Party Central Commit- said the move was made system will now depend on
tee unanimously agreed to "in accordance with the its ability to choose the right
nominate "comrade Nguy- constitution and meets the leader as well as to check
en Phu Trong" for the posi- aspirations of voters and his power."
tion. people." Trong, the party's former
If confirmed by the rubber- In this Jan. 25, 2018, file photo, Vietnam's Communist Party Gen- The move is unlikely to chief ideologue, was elect-
eral Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong poses as he meets with U.S.
stamp National Assembly Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis before their talks in Hanoi, Viet- change the country's ed to the all-powerful Polit-
which convenes later this nam. course, according to Le buro in 1997, serving as the
month, the 74-year-old Associated Press Hong Hiep, a fellow at the Communist Party chief of
Trong will be the first Viet- ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Hanoi and chairman of the
namese leader to hold the Economist Le Dang Do- largely ceremonial presi- Singapore. National Assembly before
two positions since found- anh, a former government dency, but cautioned that "The merger is unlikely to being promoted to gen-
ing President Ho Chi Minh in economic adviser, said it there should be a mecha- generate any economic eral secretary in 2011. He
the 1960s. Quang died last makes sense to merge the nism to control power. implications for Vietnam was re-elected to another
month after battling a viral powerful position of party "The question here is there and its business environ- five-year term in January
illness for more than a year. general secretary with the needs to be a mechanism ment as the country's eco- 2016.q

South Koreans visiting North Korea for summit anniversary

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) affairs, who said the agree- Pompeo prepares to make ing hard for a second sum- visit to Pyongyang, Cho
— A South Korean govern- ments produced by the se- his fourth visit to Pyongyang mit between Trump and plans to hold talks with Ri to
ment delegation arrived in ries of inter-Korean summits on Sunday with the aim of Kim to keep alive a positive discuss how to carry out the
North Korea on Thursday — two during the 2000s and setting up a second summit atmosphere for nuclear di- agreements made by Kim
for a joint celebration of three in 2018 — have set between President Donald plomacy. and South Korean President
the anniversary of a 2007 the “standard for reunifica- Trump and Kim Jong Un. Pompeo said Wednesday Moon Jae-in at a summit
summit and to possibly hold tion.” In addition to govern- Kim and Trump met in Sin- he’s optimistic he’ll come in Pyongyang last month.
further peace talks. ment officials, the South Ko- gapore in June, where they away with a plan for a That was Kim and Moon’s
South Korean Unification rean delegation includes issued vague aspirations second summit between third meeting this year as
Minister Cho Myoung-gyon lawmakers, civic and reli- for a nuclear-free Korean Trump and Kim and prog- they work to resolve the
said the visit is an opportu- gious leaders and the son Peninsula without saying ress on a “pathway for nuclear standoff following
nity to strengthen “recon- of late South Korean Presi- when and how it would denuclearization.” How- a torrid run of North Korean
ciliation, cooperation and dent Roh Moo-hyun, who occur. Follow-up talks be- ever, he distanced himself nuclear and missile tests.
peace” between the rivals. participated in the 2007 tween the countries stalled, from an earlier stated goal The South Korean dele-
Cho’s group was greeted summit with North Korea’s with Pyongyang accusing of getting North Korea to gates will also tour major
at Pyongyang’s airport by then-leader Kim Jong Il, the Washington of making “uni- abandon its nuclear weap- North Korean facilities and
Ri Son Gwon, chairman of father of current ruler Kim lateral and gangster-like” ons by the end of Trump’s attend a performance of
the North Korean agency Jong Un. The visit comes as demands on denucleariza- four-year term in January the North’s iconic mass
that handles inter-Korean U.S. Secretary of State Mike tion. That left Seoul lobby- 2021. During his three-day games. q