A senior US official said Thursday rights issues in Vietnam, including suppression of big ethnic minority protests last month, could make ratification of a bilateral trade pact more difficult than originally expected.

Ihe landmark pact, which would open markets in both countries, was signed in July last year but still has to be ratified by (he US Congress and Vietnam's National Assembly.

"I think it will happen, the question is when it will happen and bow much effort will have to be expended," said the official, who did not want to be identified.

He said the administration change in Washington had added

to the complications, because key trade officials had yet to be nominated.

"We are working with business groups in the United States to help us educate a lot of the new members (of Congress) and also to establish a new coalition to prepare for the ratification,

“ That process is going to be more difficult. 1 think, than we had originally anticipated, due to lots of factors. One is we have a new Congress and we have a lot of people about who we do not yet know their positions on trade issues.

‘ I he others are that there will be a lot of people, a lot of groups in the United States, who will be mounting an effort to get the Congress not to approve the (pact)."

The official said he expected there to be criticisms over Hanoi's labour rights record and its regulations on free movement of citizens out of the country.

But the government’s handling of protests in the central highlands. especially given the combination of factors, including religion. that could be said to have contributed to the unrest would be a particular problem.

I he protests by ethnic minority hill farmers in the coffee growing highland provinces of Gia Lai Daklak in early February' weir the biggest known protests for years.

Residents blamed the unrest on encroachment onto tribal lands by migrants from the majority Vietnamese community and re ligious restrictions.