(VOVworld) – National Assembly’s Thursday session began with President Truong Tan Sang submitting a motion asking the National Assembly to approve the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The statement said that the Convention, approved by the UN General Assembly on December 13, 2006, is to date the most comprehensive international convention to protect disabled people’s rights and legitimate interests. President Truong Tan Sang said Vietnam signed the Convention on October, 22, 2007, and planned to ratify it this year: "Vietnam’s ratification of the Convention is of great importance to realizing our international commitments and setting a foundation for dialogues and exchanges on human rights with other countries and international organizations. Ratification would demonstrate a strong political commitment by Vietnam to protecting and promoting disabled people’s interests. This is a legal basis for Vietnam’s stance on human rights in general, and on the rights of persons with disabilities particular, especially as Vietnam is a member of the UN Human Rights Council for the 2014-2016 term."

President Truong Tan Sang

The President submitted another motion regarding the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, calling it one of the most important multilateral treaties on human rights, reflecting mankind’s desire to eliminate inhuman treatment from society. The Vietnamese government proposed to exclude parts of Article 20 and Article 30. President Sang again: "Vietnam will make no direct application of the regulations of the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Any application of the Convention’s regulations will be made under Vietnam’s Constitution and laws on the basis of bilateral and multilateral agreements with other countries on the principle of reciprocity. Vietnam will not take the Convention as a legal basis for extradition as stipulated in the Convention’s Item 2, Article 8. Extradition will be done in accordance with Vietnam’s laws on the basis of earlier Conventions on extradition that Vietnam has signed or ratified."

On Thursday morning, the National Assembly heard reports on the Draft Law on Social Insurance and discussed the remaining differences regarding the draft law.