Vietnam PM meets church leader

Vietnam PM meets church leader

By Clare Arthurs BBC correspondent in Hanoi

The Prime Minister of Vietnam, Phan Van Khai, has held almost an hour of talks with the leader of a banned religious group, the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, or UBCV.

The Paris-based Buddhist Information Bureau says reports of the meeting indicated the prime minister had expressed regret for what he reportedly called past mistakes.

The monk, Thich Huyen Quang, has been under house arrest in central Vietnam for 20 years, since the UBCV was banned.

But ordinary Vietnamese know little about him, or the significance of his meeting with the Prime Minister.

Reports in the state media about the meeting revealed nothing about the monk, the ban on his church, or his detention.

Religion is strictly controlled in Vietnam

The Vietnamese Government denies he is prevented from undertaking his religious duties.

The appearance of a dialogue between the banned church and the government - and at the top level - has been welcomed by Western diplomats, although with some reservations.

The meeting could be used by the ruling Communist Party to respond to criticism of its human rights record without any real change taking place.

State media reported that the meeting focused on Mr Khai's comments on religious freedom, which he says exists in Vietnam, and his recognition of religion's role in national development.

The Paris-based Buddhist Information Bureau says in a statement that the patriarch asked why the church had been banned for so long.

The meeting may be a sign that both sides are willing to talk.

But the ruling Communist Party central committee in January passed a resolution further tightening its control of the six approved religious movements.

Despite this, the appearance of the prime minister and the patriarch on the TV news will be regarded as a positive step, even if a small one.