Iraqi vice president arrives in Vietnam

Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan arrived in Hanoi on Wednesday on a four-day official visit aimed at strengthening relations between Iraq and Vietnam.

AFP said that Ramadan will meet with his Vietnamese counterpart, Nguyen Thi Binh, as well as with President Tran Duc Luong, Prime Minister Phan Van Khai and the secretary of the communist party during his visit to Hanoi.

In statements before he left Iraq heading for visits to Vietnam and Malaysia, the Iraqi vice president said that he will discuss with the two countries' officials means of strengthening technical, economic and scientific cooperation with the two countries and acquaint them with the sufferings of the Iraqi people as a result of the air embargo that the US and Britain continue on Iraq.