Choice of Viet Leaders Dashes Hopes--Shultz

Secretary of State George P. Shultz, ending talks with U.S. allies in Southeast Asia, said today that the choice of new leaders in Vietnam has dashed hopes for political change in that country.

“As far as I can see, the nature of the people who have now emerged seems to snuff out what seemed like possible, potential flexibility in the situation and doesn’t seem consistent with their posturing,” Shultz told a news conference.

“So it is discouraging,” the secretary said.

It was the first high-level U.S. reaction to the naming of Pham Hung as prime minister and Vo Chi Cong as president by Vietnam’s National Assembly on Thursday.

Veteran of Struggle

Hung, 75, a veteran of the decades-long struggle to unify Vietnam under Communist rule, appears to represent the interests of the country’s aged leaders rather than those seeking economic and political change.

Hung replaced Pham Van Dong, 79. Cong, also in his 70s, succeeded Truong Chinh, 80. Dong and Chinh were the last of the founders of Vietnam’s Communist Party still in power.

Shultz has urged Vietnam to withdraw from Cambodia, which it invaded in 1979; clear up the fate of 2,500 American servicemen missing in action from the Vietnam War, and resume a program to let 8,500 Vietnamese emigrate to the United States.

Keeping Vietnam Isolated

Shultz and foreign ministers of the six-nation Assn. of Southeast Asian Nations spent two days declaring their resolve to keep Vietnam isolated until it withdraws from Cambodia and reverses economic and political policies that encourage people to flee.

About 140,000 refugees from communist Indochina live in temporary camps, mostly in Thailand. “I think there is consistent support for the policy of diplomatic and economic isolation on the part of these governments,” Shultz said.

His remarks on Vietnam echoed sentiments expressed earlier this week by the ASEAN nations--the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand.

“If there comes a time, and when there comes a time, that Vietnam is ready to talk sense--meaning get their troops out of Cambodia and participate in arrangements whereby the people of that country can establish their own government--and is ready to talk about that, we’re ready to do so,” Shultz said.