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SV Vietnamese Prime minister Pham Van Dong being greeted by Soviet Prime Minister Alexei Kosygin
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SV Newsmen photographing leaders
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CU Kosygin ZOOM OUT TO Kosygin talking to Vietnamese leader
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CU Pham Van Dong ZOOM OUT TO Vietnamese delegation
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SV Kosygin and delegation
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CU PAN FROM Van Dong TO other Vietnamese delegates
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SV Both nations' delegates confront each other across table
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Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: The Vietnamese and Soviet Prime Ministers met for talks in Moscow on Tuesday (3 July), but official reports did not say if the two leaders discussed the problem of Indochinese refugees. The Vietnamese Premier, Mr. Pham Van Dong, was in Moscow for a summit of the Soviet Bloc Economic Grouping -- or COMECON.

SYNOPSIS: Mr. Van Dong was greeted at the Kremlin by Soviet Prime Minister, Alexei Kosygin. The official Soviet news agency, Tass, said there was what it called a "unity of views on the problems discussed" -- but the agency did not say whether the two premier discussed the exodus of refugees from Vietnam. Several Western countries have urged the Soviet Union to use its influence wit h Vietnam to stop -- or at least control -- the continuing flood of so-called "boat people". The United States is leading Western efforts to cut back aid to Vietnam in an attempt to force Hanoi to act over the refugee crisis.

Vietnam has strongly denied accusations that it is helping refugees to leave the country. On Tuesday (3 July), the vietnamese Embassy in Kuala Lumpur circulated details of court cases in Vietnam where several people -- including foreigners -- have been gabled and fined for organising the departure of Vietnamese refugees. The United Nations is taking action on the problem, and more than seventy nations have been invited to discuss the problem this month. But if the refugees were on the agenda at the Moscow meeting both Mr. Kosygin and Mr. Van Dong kept details of their talks confidential.