| Original report from Phnom Penh 06 June 2008 |
The Cambodian government has prepared a collection of documents to present to 21 different countries in coming days an application for Preah Vihear temple for Unesco World Heritage listing.
The preparations come following a May 22 agreement between Thailand and Cambodia that only the temple grounds be listed as a World Heritage site, and not the surrounding land, which has not yet been demarcated, government officials said.
Cambodia agreed "in the spirit of goodwill and conciliation" that the temple be nominated "without at this stage a buffer zone on the northern and western areas of the Temple," according to a joint communiqué issued after the May 22 meeting, held in Paris between Council Minister Sok An and Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama.
However, Thailand continues to press the international community for its own border demarcation, two informed government officials told VOA Khmer, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The Cambodian government is adhering to the dictates of a 1962 international court ruling, that the temple belongs to Camobia, in its Heritage Site application, both officials said.
The government will present its case to Unesco representatives on Friday for a decision at a July meeting of the World Heritage Committee in Quebec, Canada.
No comments:
Post a Comment