Cambodian FM optimistic about talks with Thailand over border issue

Thai soldiers greet Cambodian soldiers near the Cekakiri Svarak pagoda of the Preah Vihear temple, about 245 km (152 miles) north of Phnom Penh, July 24, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>> PHNOM PENH, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Foreign ministers' meeting between Cambodia and Thailand held on Monday at Siem Reap province is expected to produce positive result to break the 10-day military stalemate at the border area, said a senior official hereon Friday. "I strongly hope that the foreign minister-level meeting at Siem Reap will score positive outcome," said Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hor Namhong, after meeting with the ambassadors of the five member countries of the UN Security Council. "I just officially informed the ambassadors about the latest events in regard with the dispute near the Preah Vihear Temple," he said. While talking with Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej through telephone on Thursday, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen proposed to hold a foreign minister-level meeting to solve the problem with peaceful means. This is a new manifestation of Cambodia's goodwill, he said. "However, if the bilateral talks fail, the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) can't hammer out any deal and the Thai troops still stay on Cambodian soil, we will go to the UN Security Council again, which should fulfill its obligation to find peaceful resolution for us," he said. Meanwhile, as Thailand is to take the rotating chair of ASEAN, Cambodia is also ready to welcome special envoys from Vietnam and Indonesia to help find the resolution at regional level, he said, adding "anyway, armed confrontation is not what we want." On July 21, bilateral defense minister-level talks in Thailand didn't reach any agreement to end the military face-off. The Cambodian government then wrote to ASEAN, UNESCO and the UN Security Council for higher level intervention. On July 15, three Thai protesters trespassed border to reclaim the Preah Vihear Temple, but were immediately arrested. Thai troops then came in to fetch them, thus triggering standoff with Cambodian soldiers there. Bilateral military force was then built up on daily basis until the current scale around one thousand at least.

Editor: Bi Mingxin