HANOI, March 11 (Xinhuanet) -- The United States has a spiritual
and moral responsibility to help Vietnam settle war consequences,
including those caused by Agent Orange/Dioxin, said a Vietnamese
spokeswoman.
   In replying a relevant question, Vietnamese Spokeswoman Phan
Thuy Thanh noted that the Vietnamese people have been enduring
heavy sufferings and losses left by the U.S. aggressive war.
   Settling the war consequences, particularly those left by Agent
Orange/Dioxin used by the U.S. Army during the war in Vietnam, was
a pressing humanitarian issue, Thanh stressed.
   Thanh described the memorandum of understanding, signed by
representatives of Vietnamese and U.S. scientists attending the
Vietnam-U.S. scientific conference on human health and the
environmental effects of Agent Orange/Dioxin on Sunday, as a
significant step forward for joint research cooperation between
the United States and Vietnam.
   She pointed out that despite its own difficulties, the
Vietnamese government has been doing its utmost to overcome Agent
Orange/Dioxin consequences, including the exercise of supporting
measures to ease the victims' miseries and investment into
scientific studies in this domain.
   Vietnam welcomes cooperation and assistance by scientists,
including those from the U.S, international organizations and
other countries in conducting research and reducing adverse
effects caused by Agent Orange and is ready to exchange views and
reach agreement for cooperation plans in this domain, the
Vietnamese spokeswoman added.
   About 72 million liters of herbicides, much of it Agent Orange
containing dioxins, was sprayed during the Vietnam war.
   According to available statistics from Vietnamese side, more
than 2 million Vietnamese were affected by Agent Orange. This
includes hundreds of thousands of children whose parents had been
exposed to Agent Orange. These young people have suffered from a
variety of maladies such as birth defects, paralysis and brain
deficiency.  Enditem