Vietnamese, U.S. officials hold talks on religious freedom ahead of U.S. deadline

Senior Vietnamese leaders and U.S. officials have intensified their talks on religious freedom ahead of a U.S. State Department decision next week on whether to keep Vietnam on its worst-offender list, state media and U.S. officials reported on Monday.

Ambassador John Hanford, the top State Department official for religious freedom, has been in Hanoi since Wednesday for talks on the highly sensitive topic. A U.S. Embassy spokesman declined to give any details on the meetings, saying only that they were "ongoing and constructive."

Last fall, the U.S. placed Vietnam on its worst-offender list for religious rights violations _ a category called "countries of particular concern" that carries the possibility of sanctions ranging from a private rebuke to economic restrictions.

By March 15, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice will recommend to President George W. Bush whether Vietnam should be removed from the category. If not, economic sanctions could be imposed.

The People's Police newspaper reported that Hanford met with Vice Minister of Public Security Nguyen Van Huong, along with U.S. Ambassador Michael Marine, in Hanoi on Sunday.

The paper said Hanford raised several issues during his meeting, including the implementation of a new Vietnamese directive that allows the worship of a once-banned form of Protestantism in the Central Highlands and northern Vietnam. The plight of religious prisoners was also discussed.

Hanford said he believed the religious situation in Vietnam "has seen encouraging steps forward," the paper quoted Huong as saying.

Hanoi has taken steps in recent months apparently aimed at reversing its image, including releasing dissidents and relaxing restrictions on public worship.

Last month, Vietnam released two of its most high-profile dissidents _ Father Thadeus Nguyen Van Ly and Dr. Nguyen Dan Que _ as part of a national prisoner release for the Lunar New Year.

The government also said last month that it would allow previously banned Protestant "house churches" to operate in the Central Highlands, as long as they sever ties with an exile group that Hanoi links to a separatist movement.

Vietnam's treatment of the largely Christian ethnic minorities in the region drew sharp criticism from the United States as well as the European Union following a crackdown last Easter against thousands of minority people who protested religious restrictions and land confiscation.