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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 36, Number 1. 28th February 1973

End of U.S. Involvement

End of U.S. Involvement

Article 4 of the Agreement explicitly states that "The United States will not continue its military involvement or intervene in the internal affairs of South Vietnam".

Other relevant articles provide for the withdrawal of all U.S. military personnel from South Vietnam within 60 days of the signing of the agreement; during which time all American prisoners in Indochina will be released and all U.S. and foreign military bases will be dismantled. The armed forces of the P.R.G. and the Thieu regime will maintain their present positions. Both South Vietnamese parties are pledged not to accept the introduction of troops, other military personnel or war materials in the South, although they will be allowed to replace periodically war materials destroyed or worn out after the ceasefire on a piece-for-piece basis. Both South Vietnamese parties agreed to do their utmost to effect the release of Vietnamese civilians detained in the South within 90 days of the ceasefire taking effect.

A four party Joint Military Commission (comprising the U.S., the D.R.V., the Thieu regime and the P.R.G.) will stay in existence for 60 days to implement the various aspects of the ceasefire - withdrawal of U.S. troops, return of prisoners etc. An international control commission has also been established, with Canada, Hungary, Indonesia and Poland as members, to supervise various parts of the Agreement. Within 30 days of the signing of the Agreement an international conference will be held to acknowledge the signed agreements, to guarantee the ending of the war and to ensure the maintenance of peace. The U.S. and the D.R.V. invited China, France, the Soviet Union, Britain, the four members of the international control commission and the U.N. Secretary-General to participate with the P.R.G. and the Saigon Administration in the conference.

Finally, the U.S. pledged it would contribute reparations for the war damage and also to the postwar reconstruction of North Vietnam and the rest of Indochina. Dr Kissinger, Nixon's Special Adviser on Foreign Policy, has just been in Hanoi to talk about the U.S. Government's contributions to war reparations and postwar reconstruction with the D.R.V. Government.

Commenting on the Agreement in an interview with "Checkpoint" just after the documents had been signed in Paris, Leo Goodstadt of the Far Eastern Economic Review said: "The one party which has no room for manoeuvre is the United States. Washington's role is completely sewn up by the wording of the agreement. It must withdraw lock, stock and barrel from South Vietnam ..." (N.Z. Listener, February 19th)