Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnamese diplomatic agencies abroad, on August 13 and 14, held ceremonies and opened books of condolencesfor people to pay their respects to former General Secretary of the PartyCentral Committee Le Kha Phieu, who passed away on August 7.

The Vietnamese Embassy in Cuba held a tribute-paying and a memorial ceremonyfor the late Party chief and opened the book of condolences on August 14.

Salvador Valdés Mesa, Politburo member of the Communist Party of Cuba and VicePresident of Cuba, on behalf of the Party, Government and people of Cuba, expressed deepest condolences to the Party and people of Vietnam as well as the family of lateParty chief Le Kha Phieu.

The same day, leaders of Cuba’s ministries and agencies and representativesfrom foreign missions in Cuba visited the embassy to pay respect to the lateParty chief.

In the US, at the services organised by the VietnameseEmbassy, Ambassador Ha Kim Ngoc highlighted the life and revolutionary careerof Phieu and his contributions to the cause of national construction anddevelopment as well as to the country’s external diplomacy, including theVietnam – US relations.

Representatives of the US authorities and parliament,diplomatic agencies of other nations in Washington D.C, and Vietnameseexpatriates, among others, wrote in the online book of condolences and sent flowersto the ceremony.

On behalf of the US Department of Defence, Deputy AssistantSecretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia Reed Werner expressed hisdeepest condolences to the loss and his respect toward the strong leader, who,he said, had contributed to steering the two nations’ defence ties in apositive manner since the beginning of their normalisation of diplomaticrelations.

Co-chairs of the Communist Party USA Joes Sims and RossanaCambron highlighted the Party chief’s contributions to Vietnam’s nationalprotection, reform, industrialisation and modernisation processes as well as tointernational solidarity and Vietnam – US people-to-people friendship.

A similar ceremony took place at the Vietnamese Embassy in Germany,which saw the attendance of Andreas Zimmer, head of Protocol for DiplomaticMissions and Consular Representations of the German Federal Foreign Office, whocame on behalf of the German President and Foreign Minister.

The embassy opened a book of condolences online from August14 and 17.

Both the permanent Vietnamese mission to the United Nations,the World Trade Organisation and other international organisations in Genevaand the Vietnam Embassy in Switzerland held ceremonies to pay tribute to thelate leader, with their respect-paying services and funeral books opened onAugust 14 and 17.

In New York, staff at the Permanent Mission of Vietnam tothe United Nations (UN) and Vietnamese representative agencies observed oneminute’s silence in commemoration of the late Party leader.

The mission’s services for Le Kha Phieu and funeral book remainopen from August 14 to 17 (local time).

The ceremony held by the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK, meanwhile,saw the attendance of representatives of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Officeand of other countries’ embassies, who came to express their deepestcondolences and stressed their nations’ solidarity with Vietnam.

Similar ceremonies took place in Mexico, Canada, Chile,Venezuela, Poland, Hungary, Argentina, Belgium, Ukraine, and Mozambique to showrespect to the Vietnamese former Party leader.

Former Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu passed away at2.52am on August 7 at his home.

Over the course of his more than 70 years of revolutionaryactivities, comrade Phieu made substantial contributions to the revolutionarycause of the Party and the nation. He was awarded a Golden Star, an insigniafor 70 years of Party membership, and many other Vietnamese and internationalorders and medals./.