It is a matter of great pride and privilege for me that the National Assembly has conferred its confidence and trust and made the decision to appoint me to the post of Prime Minister on the proposal made by the President of the Lao PDR.

As Head of the Government, I consider this trust and confidence as an assignment of the highest responsibility to the Government to ensure the management and administration of the country; carry out state functions in the political, economic, social, cultural, foreign affairs, national defence and security fields.

I fully recognize that over the past five years, the former Government, with H.E. Mr. Boun Nhang VORACHITH as Prime Minister, had made enormous efforts to translate and implement the Resolution of the Seventh Congress of the Party and the Fifth National Socio-economic Development Plan and had achieved significant successes which contributed to the strengthening of national security and political stability in our country as well as to a constant and continual socio-economic expansion and a gradual improvement of the living conditions of the people. Besides, foreign relations and cooperation had also been gradually expanded which raise the role of Lao PDR in the international arena.

For the coming five years period, the main tasks of the new Government are to enhance the ownership and the responsibility in the implementation of the Resolution of the 8^th Congress of the Party and the 6^th National Socio-economic Development Plan with the aim of realizing the planned targets. The Government will concentrate all efforts and actively mobilize all forces and potential in the country, in conjunction with the use of favourable opportunity and conditions provided by the intentional communities, for the purpose of ensuring fruitful implementation of the Resolution of the 8^th Congress of the Party and the 6^th Five-Year Socio-economic Development Plan which consist of 11 major programmes and 111 projects as being already approved by the Government. This aims at ensuring firm stability in the whole country., creating favourable conditions for achieving a continual economic growth ant an annual rate of 7.5 percent and over. It is expected that by 2010, the slash and burn method of rice cultivation will definitely be terminated and the problem of poor households will be basically solved. in addition, our country will also have the economic, technical, cultural and scientific infrastructure and an appropriate number of qualified personnel which will be the factors to support the industrialization and modernization in our country. Similarly, the material and moral living conditions of the people will be further improved and raised to a higher level; the average per capita income will be around US$ 800 per annum.

In carrying out its functions to achieve the above mentioned targets, the Government will fully comply with the Party guidelines and objectives; ensure a strict implementation of the Constitution, laws, National Assembly Resolutions and other state regulation; concentrate on leading and supervision the works of the Ministries, Equivalent Agencies, other Government agencies and organisations in order to allow them to function in a systematic manner and in accordance with the principles of democratic centralism focusing on the best interest of the State and of the people. Simultaneously, the Government will encourage all sectors of the economy including domestic and foreign investors and entrepreneurs as well as Lao expatriates who love the nation to make increasing contributions to the development of the country on the basis of the laws, regulations, well-defined and constant policies as well as the guarantee of reasonable benefits for all sectors.

The Government will carry on the improvement of the organisational structure, the streamlining of the working method and administrative mechanism by focusing on solving, actively and seriously, the problems relating to bureaucratic and corruption practices. this will enable the governance system of the Government to become transparent and focus on better delivery of services to the people.

The Government will consistently implement the foreign relations guidelines of peace, independence, friendship and cooperation and will especially concentrate on strengthening further the existing friendly relations and all-round cooperation with strategic friendly countries. The Government will actively contribute to the integration of ASEAN members countries with the aim of enhancing peace, security and cooperation in the region. At the same time, the Government will continue to expand the cooperation with other countries and international organisations on the basis on mutual interest. The Government of the Lao PDR will commit to the fulfillment of its obligations and will remain a trustful partner of the international communities.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Distinguished Guests,

On behalf of the members of the Government, I would like, once again, to express my thanks to the National Assembly, all members of the National Assembly for conferring their confidence and trust in the Government. The Government is well aware of the important position and roles of the National Assembly as being an organisation representing the rights and powers of the multi-ethnic people, a legislative body having the power of taking decisions on crucial issues of the nation and charging with the role of monitoring and supervising the operations of the Government. We also understand that good quality of monitoring and supervision undertaken by the National Assembly will help in improving the performance of the Government. Hence, the Government will create favourable conditions to enable the National Assembly and its Commissions to conduct monitoring and supervision of the activities of the Government including the operations of the Ministries, Equivalent Agencies and other Government agencies in a widely and profoundly manner. The Government will devote its efforts in carrying out its functions with the highest level of responsibility. The Government would like to call upon all Party members, civil servants, army and police personnel as well as all multi-ethnic people of all walk of life throughout the country to consolidate their unity and rally behind the Party and the Government for the purposes of making our beloved country wealthy and strong, of ensuring the benefits and well-beings for all multi-ethnic Lao people countrywide, and of making our society democratic, civilized and fair.

Finally, I would like to wish the Inaugural Session of the Sixth Legislature of the National Assembly a great success.

Thank you.