By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN,
Associated Press Writer AP -
SINGAPORE - Singapore's foreign minister said Thursday a border dispute that recently flared between Thailand and Cambodia should never have become a problem, and it was unnecessary to take it to the U.N. Security Council.
Speaking as host of Southeast Asia's main security conference, George Yeo suggested that Cambodia's decision to refer the spat to the United Nations may have been premature. Yeo said the two countries should focus instead on promoting tourism and shelve their differences.
"It should not have to go to U.N. Security Council," Yeo said at a news conference following the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' annual security meeting. "It was not a problem, even a few weeks ago. It suddenly became a problem."
Yeo's comments came as the military standoff over the disputed border territory entered a second week, with Thailand accusing Cambodia of eyeing even more of its land and leaflets appearing in the Cambodian capital calling for a boycott of Thai goods.
On Tuesday, Cambodia asked the U.N. Security Council to intervene in the dispute over land near the ancient temple of Preah Vihear, warning that the two sides were at "an imminent state of war."
Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said he had no choice but to appeal to the United Nations after discussions with Thailand on Monday failed to produce a breakthrough.
In a countermove Wednesday, Thailand's ambassador to the United Nations, Don Pramudwinai, said Cambodia was bringing the quarrel before the Security Council because "the Cambodian target is not only Preah Vihear but the entire common border."
The dispute over 1.8 square miles (4.6 square kilometers) of land near Preah Vihear escalated this month when UNESCO approved Cambodia's application to have the temple complex named a World Heritage Site.
Thailand sent troops to the border July 15 after anti-government demonstrators attacked Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's government for supporting Cambodia's UNESCO application. They claim the temple's new status will undermine Thailand's claim to land around the temple. Cambodia responded with its own troop deployment.
Cambodia is preparing to hold national elections on Sunday, with some commentators suggesting a resolution may be more likely after the polls when the media and political glare subsides.
Yeo reiterated ASEAN's call for restraint, saying: "Both sides are being watched."
"Both sides should promote tourism, and it's something we should enhance in Southeast Asia as a whole, not become a source of conflict between two countries," he said.
On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the United States will be guided by the views of Southeast Asian countries in assessing the border dispute if it comes up for mediation in the U.N. Security Council.
Associated Press Writer AP -
SINGAPORE - Singapore's foreign minister said Thursday a border dispute that recently flared between Thailand and Cambodia should never have become a problem, and it was unnecessary to take it to the U.N. Security Council.
Speaking as host of Southeast Asia's main security conference, George Yeo suggested that Cambodia's decision to refer the spat to the United Nations may have been premature. Yeo said the two countries should focus instead on promoting tourism and shelve their differences.
"It should not have to go to U.N. Security Council," Yeo said at a news conference following the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' annual security meeting. "It was not a problem, even a few weeks ago. It suddenly became a problem."
Yeo's comments came as the military standoff over the disputed border territory entered a second week, with Thailand accusing Cambodia of eyeing even more of its land and leaflets appearing in the Cambodian capital calling for a boycott of Thai goods.
On Tuesday, Cambodia asked the U.N. Security Council to intervene in the dispute over land near the ancient temple of Preah Vihear, warning that the two sides were at "an imminent state of war."
Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said he had no choice but to appeal to the United Nations after discussions with Thailand on Monday failed to produce a breakthrough.
In a countermove Wednesday, Thailand's ambassador to the United Nations, Don Pramudwinai, said Cambodia was bringing the quarrel before the Security Council because "the Cambodian target is not only Preah Vihear but the entire common border."
The dispute over 1.8 square miles (4.6 square kilometers) of land near Preah Vihear escalated this month when UNESCO approved Cambodia's application to have the temple complex named a World Heritage Site.
Thailand sent troops to the border July 15 after anti-government demonstrators attacked Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's government for supporting Cambodia's UNESCO application. They claim the temple's new status will undermine Thailand's claim to land around the temple. Cambodia responded with its own troop deployment.
Cambodia is preparing to hold national elections on Sunday, with some commentators suggesting a resolution may be more likely after the polls when the media and political glare subsides.
Yeo reiterated ASEAN's call for restraint, saying: "Both sides are being watched."
"Both sides should promote tourism, and it's something we should enhance in Southeast Asia as a whole, not become a source of conflict between two countries," he said.
On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the United States will be guided by the views of Southeast Asian countries in assessing the border dispute if it comes up for mediation in the U.N. Security Council.
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