President Obama is considering lifting an embargo that bans the sale of arms to Vietnam, according to a Wall Street Journal report published late Thursday.
Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said the White House is in talks with members of Congress about ending the ban.
The president will visit Vietnam next week and is expected to outline “how we intend to approach [the embargo] going forward,” according to Rhodes.
The move would strengthen relations between the U.S. and Vietnam, after the countries normalized diplomatic relations in 1995. The Vietnamese have repeatedly lobbied for the rollback of U.S. sanctions against its importing of weapons.
Obama will sit down with Vietnamese leaders, including the leader of the Communist Party. American organizations have called on the U.S. to ensure human rights issues are addressed before any changes to trade policy are made.
