Quang Tri (VNA) - US supportfor the war-torn central province of Quang Tri in settling the aftermath of waris substantial and the cooperation between the two is viewed by manyinternational experts as a model for the region and the world, an insider hassaid.

In a recent interview with the Vietnam NewsAgency, Nguyen Trieu Thuong, deputy head of the Quang Tri steering committee forthe settlement of war-left unexploded ordnance (UXO) consequences, said that overthe last 25 years, via international and non-governmental organisations (NGOs),the US Government has helped the province carry out programmes and projectsaddressing UXO and assisting victims.

The US has provided Quang Tri with over 40million USD to date, accounting for almost 50 percent of the financial aid theprovince has received from international sponsors to tackle UXO.

In 1995, PeaceTrees Vietnam became the first NGOfrom the US licenced to operate in UXO search and clearance in Vietnam,beginning an array of international cooperation activities in the field fundedby the US, via such NGOs as the Mines Advisory Group, Clear Path International,and Norwegian People’s Aid, Thuong said.

She noted that these organisations assistedQuang Tri to detect and detonate 720,000 bombs, mines, and other explosives,clearing UXO on nearly 187 million square metres of land.

US support has also greatly helped with traininginternational-standard technicians and applying modern technologies to UXOsearch and clearance, she said, describing this as an important resource forthe province to proactively handle UXO-related issues in an effective andsustainable manner.

She held that for a province facing numerousdifficulties like Quang Tri, the US assistance is substantial, and its cooperationwith the US as well as international organisations is not only a vivid andtypical demonstration of an effective and sustainable approach to war-left UXOsettlement in Vietnam but also, as many international experts said, a model forthe region and the world to follow.

Quang Tri was the first locality in Vietnam tobuild an action programme for addressing UXO, for the 2016-2025 period, and wasalso the first to set up a steering committee to handle UXO.

However, she noted, despite certainachievements, a number of difficulties and challenges remain. More than 80percent of the province’s area is still contaminated by bombs, mines and othertypes of explosives, posing latent risks to local lives and socio-economicdevelopment.

To become the first locality in Vietnam to befree of UXO accidents by 2025, Quang Tri is adopting many intensive solutions,including promoting cooperation with international partners to seek funding forUXO programmes and projects in the years to come.

In particular, the province is bolstering tieswith the US and hopes to receive more support from the US Government in thistask so that it can address UXO effectively and sustainably by itself in thenear future, Thuong added./.