a015  2340  21 Oct 76
PM-U.S.-Vietnam, Bjt, 490
By GEORGE GEDDA
Associated Press Writer
    WASHINGTON (AP) - After six months of exchanging messages, the
United States and Vietnam are moving toward agreement on opening
preliminary talks about normalizing relations, qualified officials
say.
    However, U.S. officials say they are trying to avoid any ''sterile
debate'' with the Vietnamese and that the United States wants to
''test the waters'' in preliminary talks with Vietnam before
committing itself to hard bargaining.
    ''We want to talk about talks,'' one official said.
    The plan, sources say, calls for meetings to be held in Paris with
the two sides represented by embassy officials. No time has been set.
    The chief American objective is a full accounting of the 800
Ameican servicemen still listed as missing in action in Vietnam.
    Democratic presidential candidate Jimmy Carter said in his second
debate with President Ford two weeks ago that ''aggressive action'' is
needed to obtain an accounting of MIAs. Carter said Ford's refusal to
send an MIA fact-finding commission to Indochina is ''one of the most
embarrassing failures of the Ford administration.''
    It is unclear whether Carter's accusations contributed to the break
in the impasse of face-to-face talks.
    Since April, there have been seven notes exchanged between the two
countries, and the breakthrough on opening talks apparently came with
the most recent note, from the American side, earlier this month. No
official would give the precise date of the note but one official
said it was about Oct. 11, five days after the second Carter-Ford
debate.
    On Oct. 15, Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger hinted that talks
were near but gave no details. So far as is known, there have been no
meetings between American and Vietnamese officials since the signing
of the Paris peace agreement in January 1973.
    The main Vietnamese goal in negotiations with the United States is
U.S. reconstruction aid, which Washington pledged as part of the Paris
pact. The U.S. position is that Hanoi is not entitled to such aid
because of what the Ford administration describes as massive
violations of the pact by Hanoi in its conquest of South Vietnam last
year.
    Carter has given no indication he disagrees with administration
policy on this issue. In any case, aid for Vietnam has virtually no
support in the U.S. Congress.
    However, there are some advantages for Vietnam in negotiating with
the United States. An easing of relations would enable Vietnam to
fulfill its goal of gaining admission to the United Nations.
    Both Ford and Carter have said they would veto any Vietnamese
application for U.N. membership as long as the MIAs remained
unaccounted for.
    Officials also say Hanoi sees symbolic value in winning U.S.
recognition. ''This would legitimatize, and, in effect, give the U.S.
blessing to Hanoi's takeover of South Vietnam,'' an official said.
    U.S. interests in negotiating with Vietnam extend beyond the MIA
issu. Officials are still worried that Vietnam may try to expand its
influence in Southeast Asia, and they believe that extensive
diplomatic, trade and economic ties with the West will have the
long-range effect of tempering Vietnamese behavior.
    
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