HANOI - Vietnam on Thursday called a U.S. hearing on its religious rights record this week a gross and unacceptable interference in its internal affairs.
"The fact that the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom gave itself the right to pass judgment on the religious situation in other countries is a gross interference into the internal affairs of other countries," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Phan Thuy Thanh told a news conference.
"This goes against the charter of the United Nations and this is unacceptable."
The hearing in Washington on Tuesday discussed whether sanctions should be used to push Vietnam to show greater respect for religious rights and looked what effect granting Normal Trade Relations (NTR) status would have.
NTR status, renewable annually, is provided for under a landmark trade accord signed by Washington and Hanoi last year but still to be ratified by the U.S. Congress and Vietnam's National Assembly.
Vietnam's state media complained this week the meeting undermined the basis of the relationship between the two former enemies.
While religious rights in Vietnam have improved gradually, the country is still regularly criticised by rights groups for restricting worship and church activity.
Hanoi currently recognises six religious groups, but not included are the country's countless small Protestant "house" churches which the government sees as subversive but have significant backing in the United States.
05:49 02-15-01
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