April 18, 1997

Hanoi, Havana join forces to smash subversion

HANOI, April 18 (Reuter) - Socialist allies Vietnam and Cuba pledged on Friday to join forces in a battle to smash subversion.

The official Vietnam News Agency carried details of a meeting between Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet and Cuba's visiting Interior Minister Abelardo Colome Ibarra at which the two agreed to work together to stamp out threats to their governments.

``Vietnam and Cuba should cooperate in the struggle against all schemes and acts of sabotage by hostile forces,'' Kiet was quoted as saying.

``Vietnam has attached importance to Cuba's experience in looking for proper solutions to stand firm and develop in the face of hostile forces' fierce attacks,'' the agency added.

Cuba and Vietnam are longstanding and close ideological allies.

In a separate message on Friday Vietnam's Communist Party chief Do Muoi described the two countries as ``fraternal brothers sharing the same combat trench and strategy and determination to successfully build socialism.''

Havana and Hanoi survived the collapse of communism in Soviet-bloc countries during the late 1980s and early 1990s, but both say they are facing continued threats to their existence through peaceful evolution plots.

The Cuban Interior minister began a week-long visit to Vietnam on Tuesday.

22:57 04-17-97