Faith, Diplomacy And India

[Guest]

Sonia's Blessing and Vatican's Grace on India -

Yindoo Land not cited in State Dept Report <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /><!--endemo-->

From LATimes

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->State Department Set to Cite Saudi Arabia
By BARRY SCHWEID, AP Diplomatic Writer

WASHINGTON -- The State Department, in a report being released Tuesday, cites Saudi Arabia and seven other countries as restricting religious freedom.
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->In addition to Saudi Arabia, they are Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Vietnam. Eritrea and Vietnam also were newcomers to the list last year.
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->In September, the State Department notified Congress that Rice had banned commercial export of certain defense articles to Eritrea. <b>It was the first time sanctions had been applied to any country under the U.S. religious freedom law</b>.
<b>
Vietnam, meanwhile, reached an agreement</b> with the State Department in May to improve religious freedom conditions. <b>President Bush is expected to visit Vietnam next year for an Asia conference</b>. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->