Cambodia and Thailand agree temple troop pull-back

Monks walk past a soldier to attend a Buddhism ceremony praying for peace called Krong Pealy at Preah Vihear temple compound atop Dang Reak mountain, about 245km (152 miles) north of Phnom Penh, August 1, 2008.

REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to withdraw most of the 1,000 troops facing off for a month near the disputed Preah Vihear temple on their border, a Cambodian commander on the ground said on Thursday.

"We will leave only 10 armed men for each side," General Chea Mon told Reuters in Phnom Penh. "Other forces will be returned to military bases."

The redeployment, negotiated at a meeting between army officers on Wednesday, is scheduled for Saturday, two days before the two countries' foreign ministers meet in Thailand to discuss the dispute, he added.

Thai military officials were not immediately available for comment.

The two ministers agreed last month to find a peaceful route out of the spat, which centres on 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq km) of scrub near the 900-year-old Hindu ruins that sit on the jungle-clad escarpment dividing the two countries.

Despite the pledge, neither Phnom Penh nor Bangkok wanted to be the first to withdraw forces on the ground for fear of being painted as weak. In places, soldiers from the two sides are dug in only a few yards apard.

Tensions have eased considerably since Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's victory last month in a general election in which the temple -- and nationalism -- featured heavily.

In a marked toning down of his campaign rhetoric, Hun Sen said a week ago the two sides must resolve the dispute and "maximise bilateral cooperation, including trade".

The spat erupted last month when protest groups trying to overthrow the Thai government attacked Bangkok's backing of Cambodia's bid to list Preah Vihear as a U.N. World Heritage site.

Preah Vihear has been claimed by both sides for decades, but was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962, a ruling that has rankled in Thailand ever since.

(Reporting by Ek Madra; Writing by Ed Cropley; Editing by Alan Raybould)