PETER YARROW - YARROW CALLS FOR VIETNAM APOLOGY

Folk rocker and peace activist PETER YARROW has pleaded with the Vietnamese to forgive America for the Vietnam War in Ho Chi Minh City.

The PUFF, THE MAGIC DRAGON singer, 66, performed at a charity concert to raise money for VIETNAM ASSOCIATION OF VICTIMS OF AGENT ORANGE last week (ends01APR05).

Agent Orange, a defoliant sprayed by US planes during the 1960s-1970s war, has led to thousands of people suffering from diseases and children being born with birth defects.

Yarrow said of the south east Asian nation's relations with his native America, "All I know is that there's something that's really hurting the process of engagement, normalisation and mutual respect in this equation. And a real flash point is the issue of Agent Orange.

"Now, I'm here with that history and came to Vietnam ready to get down on my knees as one American and say, 'Please forgive us. We who are a good country - and a great country in many ways - also have made some terrible mistakes.'"