1 The European Union plans to sign an economic pact with Vietnam by the end of June, following a breakthrough last month in efforts by Germany to deport some its 40,000 illegal Vietnamese residents, diplomats said Friday.
2 Vietnam and the EU, which groups 15 countries, have now resolved the last issue blocking the treaty, said France's ambassador in Hanoi, Jean-Francois Nougarede.
3 The two sides expect to sign the pact during France's six-month term as Union president, Nougarede said at a news conference. France assumed the rotating Union presidency from Germany at the start of 1995.
4 Vietnam made a commitment in January to take back some of its illegal emigrants over a specific period of time, German ambassador Christian Kraemer told reporters at the joint conference. He declined to give details but described the commitment as 'quite a step forward.'
5 Some of these Vietnamese went to former East Germany as 'guest workers' to help pay off Vietnam's debt to the East German government. Most entered Germany from Eastern European countries after 1989, seeking jobs after the collapse of the Berlin Wall.
6 Germany wants to deport them, but Vietnam had refused until last month to take any of them back, Kraemer said.
7 'The issue is not settled,' he said. 'The talks continue.'
8 But the two countries agreed on principles to guide future negotiations, paving the way for Germany to line up with other EU members who wanted to proceed with the economic treaty, he said.
9 Concerns about human rights in Vietnam had previously blocked talks about an economic agreement, but the two sides have since settled their differences on the issue, the ambassadors said.

The two sides expect to sign the pact during France ' s six - month term as Union president , Nougarede said at a news conference . France assumed the rotating Union presidency from Germany at the start of 1995 .
The two sides expect to sign the pact
Why are they signing the pact during such a short term by France as Union President?