Friendship Towards New Zealand

The reasons why the delegation was unable to come to New Zealand are discussed fully in separate articles in this issue. Despite Mr Kirk's negative attitude towards the delegation the six representatives of the D.R.V. and the P.R.G. showed a very friendly attitude towards New Zealand and a great interest in New Zealand politics.

As with the North Vietnamese trade union delegation that visited New Zealand in February the most striking thing about the D.R.V. — P.R.G. peace delegation was the Vietnamese' tremendous sense of internationalism. Every time they spoke at meetings and discussions while we were in Sydney the members of the delegation would reiterate that the Vietnamese people's struggle against American aggression for national liberation and independence was not just isolated to Indochina. They put great emphasis on the international support for their cause precisely because they saw their struggle as being part of a common struggle being waged throughout the world.

The Vietnamese reiterated that the Paris Agreement on ending the War and restoring peace in Vietnam was a very great victory in their struggle. At a teach-in at Sydney University the leader of the P.R.G. delegation, Nguyen Van Tien, explained why his people saw the agreement as a victory.