Viet PM due for state visit

President Arroyo will meet new Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan van Khai for the second time when he arrives in the country for a state visit on Nov. 14-16.

The two earlier met during the 7th Leaders’ Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Brunei Darrusalam last Nov. 4-6.

Last week, Bahrain Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa was in the country for a state visit.

Mrs. Arroyo will welcome the Viet prime minister after her own state visit to Indonesia on Nov. 12-13.

On Nov. 14, the President is leaving for her working visit to the United States with a stopover in Mexico. She returns to the country on Nov. 24.

In yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes gave a briefing of issues involving the President’s trip to the US.

Reyes and National Security Adviser Roilo Golez are part of Mrs. Arroyo’s US entourage. – Marichu Villanueva