December 16, 2005

New Zealand to give Vietnam US$283,000 against bird flu
 

New Zealand would give Vietnam US$283,000 to help the country's anti-bird flu efforts, New Zealand's Prime Minister Helen Clark said.

Clark informed her Vietnamese counterpart Phan Van Khai of the decision during the East Asian Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Khai gave her an overview of Vietnam's anti-bird flu measures, and thanked New Zealand for its support.

He also met Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe later, and informed him of Vietnam's willingness to share its bird flu experiences and work with Zimbabwe against the disease.

The African country was recently hit by the less virulent H5N2 strain of bird flu.