HANOI, July 27 (AFP) - The European Union called on Vietnam's communist authorities Friday to ease the tight restrictions on the foreign media.
EU external affairs commissioner Chris Patten said the restrictions were counterproductive for Vietnam, as they hindered reporting of the progress the government had made in its economic reforms.
"It seems to me that there is a good story to tell about what's been happening to the Vietnamese economy and the best way of ensuring that that story gets around the world is to give international journalists reasonable access to report responsibly on what's happening," Patten said.
The communist authorities keep the foreign media here under a tight leash, requiring journalists to seek advance approval for all travel outside the capital.
The press law even stipulates that journalists must apply to the foreign ministry for approval four days in advance of any interview, by telephone or in person, with a Vietnamese national.
Patten said that press freedom was one of a number of human rights issues he had discussed with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Ngyen Dy Nien.
"I raised during my discussions matters ... involving freedom of religion, freedom of opinion and not least the position of the international media here in Vietnam," he said.
Both Patten and Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel, whose country currently holds the EU presidency, said they detected signs of movement from Vietnam at the annual security forum of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) here this week.
"We welcome the fact that the foreign minister said yesterday that Vietnam would welcome a dialogue on human rights with its partners on the basis of mutual esteem," said Patten.
"I notice with some satisfaction ... the intervention of the Vietnamese representative yesterday that he was in favor ... to put on the table in this forum ... even sensitive problems (like) human rights and (the) rule of law," said Michel.
"We hope that with the economic evolution, with exchanges with the EU for instance, it can also integrate and change in the direction of other lands."
Vietnam has detained a string of leading religious dissidents in recent months sparking renewed criticism of its human rights record, particularly in the United States.
The communist authorities still only allow five officially recognised religious leaderships to operate here. All other religions and rival leaderships remain banned.