HANOI, Sept. 22 (Xinhuanet) -- Vietnam attaches great importance to national unity, considering it the driving force of the national construction and defense as well as its industrializationand modernization process.

    Nong Duc Manh, General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee, made the statement at the two-day open session of the 6th NationalCongress of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF), which started hereon Wednesday.

    "The Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) always considers the national unity, which is now based on the alliance among the working class, the farmer class and the intellectual circle, the source of strength, the mainspring and the decisive factor to ensure the sustainable victory of the national construction and defense," Nong Duc Manh, General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee, stated at the session.

    Vietnam must ensure the construction of a strong country with wealthy people and a just, democratic and civilized society, raisepatriotism and public awareness of national independence, and fight against red-tape and corruption, he said, proposing the VFF keep on reinforcing and expanding the national unity to acceleratenational industrialization, modernization and international economic integration.

    "This congress is held after the five-year implementation of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Law which is aimed at raising the front's role in the country's renewal process, promoting democracy, and beefing up close ties between people and the Party and the State, and promoting patriotism and the national great unity tradition," Pham The Duyet, Chairman of the VFF Central Committee for the 5th Tenure, addressed the congress' open session.

    At the open session, Li Meng, Vice Chairman of 10th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, said the VFF under the leadership of the CPV has unitedall social classes, given consultations about policy making, and made a great contribution to social and political stability and economic development of Vietnam.

    Along with the unceasing development of the friendly relation between China and Vietnam, the CPPCC and the VFF, have deepened their cooperation and exchanges, making an active contribution to the better mutual understanding and trust of the two peoples, and stepping up bilateral multifaceted cooperation ties, he said, noting that the Sino-Vietnamese ties, especially economic and trade ones, have seen breakthrough development in recent years.

    The 6th congress' theme is "Promoting the strength of national unity, raising the role of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, and accelerating national industrialization and modernization toward a strong country with wealthy people and a just, democraticand civilized society".

    It is to review the activities of the VFF from the 5th congressin 1999 and particularly in recent three terms, decide on key directions and the action program in its 2004-2009 term, to adopt the VFF's amended charter, and organize democratic consultations to elect members of the VFF Central Committee for the 6th tenure.

    The congress' open session was attended by 879 official delegates from all social classes, including 217 from all ethnic minority groups, 126 from religious organizations, 47 from businesses and 26 overseas Vietnamese. It also saw the participation of more than 200 local and foreign guests, includingfour international delegations from China, Cambodia, Laos and Cuba.

    At the congress' retreat session held on Tuesday, delegates approved the VFF's amended charter, and chose members of the VFF Central Committee for the 6th Tenure which include 320 people, up from 253 persons in the 5th tenure. Duyet was re-elected chairman of the VFF Central Committee for the 6th tenure. Enditem