The National Assembly Standing Committee concluded its four-day meeting yesterday after giving opinions on the committee's proposed agenda for 2012 and debating the draft Law on Water Resources.

In its final actions of the meeting, the committee elected a new member to the Council for Selecting Procurators for the Supreme People's Procuracy and the Central Military Procuracy, adopting the proposal of the chief inspector of the Supreme People's Procuracy to name Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Tran Anh Tuan to the Council for Selecting Procurators for the Supreme People's Procuracy and the Central Military Procuracy.

National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung also asked all National Assembly committees to prepare reports on the results of the third session of the 13th National Assembly for submission to the upcoming fourth session. He urged them to renew their agenda to improve the role of the National Assembly in lawmaking, legislative oversight and deciding on national priorities in upcoming sessions.

He said renewal of the Standing Committee's agenda would help the National Assembly save time while improving the legislative process.

With some lawmakers expressing concerns that they lacked adequate time to contribute opinions on draft laws, Hung suggested the committee work more closely with the Government throughout the lawmaking process, and not only when legislation is presented during National Assembly sessions.

He also requested functional offices carry out the directions of the Standing Committee and properly prepare materials for the committee's next meeting in January with the goal of achieving the greatest efficiency.

Earlier yesterday, the Standing Committee yesterday asked the drafting committee of the amended Law on Water Resources to make adjustments to the draft before it is submitted to the full legislature in its upcoming session.

Standing Committee vice chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan said the draft had already been put under the microscope during three legislative sessions due to its complexity.

Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Nguyen Van Duc stressed a need to adjust the law's definitions of marine territories to include inland waterways with a view to affirming Viet Nam's rights of sovereignty and authority over these areas and ensure their compatibility with other laws on land use, minerals and environment.

National Assembly Economic Committee chairman Nguyen Van Giau said, however, the current draft was a sufficient affirmation of sovereignty, an area already addressed in the Maritime Law. The committee said it would was not necessary to include saltwater inland waterways in the nation's territorial waters since these areas were already within the nation's exclusive economic zone. However, the committee agreed to adjust saltwater areas in gulfs, ports and within 5.55km (or three nautical miles) from shore.

The chairwoman of the Legislative Affairs Committee, Nguyen Thi Nuong, cited the example of fishermen from both Viet Nam and China catching fish on rivers and estuaries along the borders of both countries, so both needed to co-operate to protect aquatic resources.

Committee for Science, Technology and Environment chairman Phan Xuan Dung suggested that the title of the draft law be changed to the Law on Fresh Water Resources if the Standing Committee agreed with the Economic Committee on this issue.

"It is very important because issues will emerge in the future relevant to the Maritime Law and international co-operation," Dung said, urging the drafting committee to add seawater in internal waterways and territorial waters to the scope of the draft while the Maritime Law could continue to address maritime issues in detail.

Deputies decided to ask the full National Assembly to assign an organisation to protect the rights and interests of Viet Nam in inter-boundary water resources. Lawmakers also suggested that water resources planning take place according to river valleys and watersheds and the administrative border of provinces.

Council of Nationalities chairman K'sor Phuoc also asked the drafting committee to make clearer the duties and interests of individuals and organisations in exploiting, using and protecting water resources and to put forth sanctions against those found depleting water resources.

Nuong also added that the draft needed to clearly regulate State policy over the provision of water resources for daily use and production by ethnic people in mountainous and remote areas.

VNS