Bush Meets With Vietnamese Prime Minister; Discusses Religious Freedom

President George W. Bush met at the White House yesterday with visiting Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. In remarks (full text) after their meeting in the Oval Office, Bush said in part: "We talked about freedom -- religious and political freedom, and I told the Prime Minister that I thought the strides that the government is making toward religious freedom is noteworthy. And I appreciated the efforts that he and his government are making." NPR yesterday reported on the continuing concerns about Vietnam's human rights record. As reported by Reuters, in May the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom recommended that Vietnam be placed back on the list of "countries of particular concern" because of infringements on religious freedom. (See prior posting.) In 2006, the State Department took Vietnam off that list. (See prior posting.)