Asia: Cambodia prodding N.Korea on abduction

BY KAZUTO TSUKAMOTO THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

Cambodia has been working behind the scenes to encourage North Korea to resolve the thorny abduction issue with Japan.
Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, 72 (pictured), disclosed this fact during an interview with The Asahi Shimbun in Tokyo on Jan. 16.
Hor Namhong, who is also Cambodia's deputy prime minister, was in Tokyo for the first Japan-Mekong Foreign Ministers' Meeting, which was held the same day.
In the interview, Hor Namhong described a meeting of high-ranking Cambodian government officials and their North Korean counterparts in November.
During the meeting, one Cambodian official suggested that North Korea work to solve the issue of the abduction of Japanese citizens. Doing so would lead to progress toward a reconciliation between Japan and North Korea, he said. Japan would then reconsider its relations with North Korea in the economic field, Hor Namhong quoted the official as saying.
"For Cambodia, North Korea is a friend, while Japan is an important close friend.
"For the sake of world peace, we want Japan and North Korea to become friendly and normalize their diplomatic relations," Hor Namhong said in the interview.
"Cambodia is in a position where it can hold high-level meetings with North Korea, and it has the ability to persuade North Korea," he added.
This seemed to suggest that Cambodia will continue to urge Pyongyang to solve the abduction issue to help smooth relations between Japan and North Korea.
At the United Nations General Assembly last month, Cambodia voted in favor of a resolution that criticized the North's human rights record.
"At the vote, Cambodia received a little pressure (from North Korea not to vote for the resolution)," he told The Asahi Shimbun.
Hor Namhong also urged Japanese industry to increase its investment in Cambodia.
"Our country is abundant in natural resources, such as rare metals and natural gas. We also have a young workforce," he said.
Japan is the largest contributor of aid to Cambodia.
At the Japan-Mekong Foreign Ministers' Meeting, Tokyo pledged a total of $40 million (about 4.3 billion yen) in aid to reduce poverty and for other measures in the five countries along Indochina's Mekong river--Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar (Burma).
Of the $40 million, $20 million will be in the form of grants for the development of poor areas that span Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos.(IHT/Asahi: January 24,2008)