Agreement Concerning the Sovereignty, Independence, Territorial Integrity and Inviolability, Neutrality and National Unity of Cambodia

The signing of the Paris Peace Accords in 1991. First three figures from right had been united in their anti-Vietnamese resistance movement together up to this point in history. Sihanouk [third from right] had justified his shallow nationalism and his trade-mark fickleness in politics with his admission that his Khmer subjects had lived better lives under Vietnam's tutelage than they had done under the Khmer Rouge! Second from right - Ieng Mouly - another bright actor who quickly crawled his way into the gold cage laid for former rebels by Hanoi. Having secured himself a ministerial position within the Hun Sen regime he set about repaying his new patrons by lecturing to former combatants and followers, urging them not to fall into the trap of being "used by others" - presumably men as opportunistic and as unprincipled as himself? Khieu Samphan [first right, along with Nuon Chea et al now standing trial] maybe the only person in this picture to  be feeling genuinely hard done by both politically and on a personal level - the rest are just content to applaud the tragi-comedy that is present-day Cambodia - School of Vice

 “The other parties to this Agreement hereby solemnly undertake to recognize and to respect in every way the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and inviolability, neutrality and national unity of Cambodia.”

Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Canada, the People's Republic of China, the French Republic, the Republic of India, the Republic of Indonesia, Japan, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, the Republic of the Philippines, the Republic of Singapore, the Kingdom of Thailand, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia,

In the presence of the Secretary-General of the United Nations,

Convinced that a comprehensive political settlement for Cambodia is essential for the long-term objective of maintaining peace and security in South-East Asia,

Recalling their obligations under the Charter of the United Nations and other rules of international law,

Considering that full observance of the principles of noninterference and non-intervention in the internal and external affairs of States is of the greatest importance for the maintenance of international peace and security,

Reaffirming the inalienable right of States freely to determine their own political, economic, cultural and social systems in accordance with the will of their peoples, without outside interference, subversion, coercion or threat in any form whatsoever,

Desiring to promote respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms in conformity with the Charter of the United Nations and other relevant international instruments,

Have agreed as follows:

Article 1

1.      Cambodia hereby solemnly undertakes to maintain, preserve and defend its sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and inviolability, neutrality, and national unity; the perpetual neutrality of Cambodia shall be proclaimed and enshrined in the Cambodian constitution to be adopted after free and fair elections.

2.      To this end, Cambodia undertakes:

a. To refrain from any action that might impair the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and inviolability of other States;

b. To refrain from entering into any military alliances or other military agreements with other States that would be inconsistent with its neutrality, without prejudice to Cambodia's right to acquire the necessary military equipment, arms, munitions and assistance to enable it to exercise its inherent right of self-defence and to maintain law and order;

c. To refrain from interference in any form whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, in the internal affairs of other States;

d. To terminate treaties and agreements that are incompatible with its sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and inviolability, neutrality, and national unity;

e. To refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations;

f. To settle all disputes with other States by peaceful means;

g. To refrain from using its territory or the territories of other States to impair the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity and inviolability of other States;

h. To refrain from permitting the introduction or stationing of foreign forces, including military personnel, in any form whatsoever, in Cambodia, and to prevent the establishment or maintenance of foreign military bases, strong points or facilities in Cambodia, except pursuant to United Nations authorization for the implementation of the comprehensive political settlement.

Article 2

1. The other parties to this Agreement hereby solemnly undertake to recognize and to respect in every way the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and inviolability, neutrality and national unity of Cambodia.

2. To this end, they undertake:

a. To refrain from entering into any military alliances or other military agreements with Cambodia that would be inconsistent with Cambodia's neutrality, without prejudice to Cambodia's right to acquire the necessary military equipment, arms, munitions and assistance to enable it to exercise its inherent right of self-defence and to maintain law and order;

b. To refrain from interference in any form whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, in the internal affairs of Cambodia;

c. To refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Cambodia, or in any other manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations;

d. To settle all disputes with Cambodia by peaceful means;

e. To refrain from using their territories or the territories of other States to impair the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and inviolability, neutrality and national unity of Cambodia;

f. To refrain from using the territory of Cambodia to impair the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and inviolability of other States;

g. To refrain from the introduction or stationing of foreign forces, including military personnel, in any form whatsoever, in Cambodia and from establishing or maintaining military bases, strong points or facilities in Cambodia, except pursuant to United Nations authorization for the implementation of the comprehensive political senlement.

Article 3

1. All persons in Cambodia shall enjoy the rights and freedoms embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other relevant international human rights instruments.

2. To this end,

a. Cambodia undertakes:

�.    to ensure respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Cambodia;

�.    to support the right of all Cambodian citizens to undertake activities that would promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms;

�.    to take effective measures to ensure that the policies and practices of the past shall never be allowed to return:

�.    to adhere to relevant international human rights instruments;

�.    b. The other parties to this Agreement undertake to promote and encourage respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Cambodia as embodied in the relevant international instruments in order, in particular, to prevent the recurrence of human rights abuses.

�.    3. The United Nations Commission on Human Rights should continue to monitor closely the human rights situation in Cambodia, including, if necessary, by the appointment of a Special Rapporteur who would report his findings annually to the Commission and to the General Assembly.

Article 4

The parties to this Agreement call upon all other States to recognize and respect in every way the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and Inviolability, neutrality and national unity of

Cambodia and to refrain from any action inconsistent with these principles or with other provisions of this Agreement.

Article 5

1.      In the event of a violation or threat of violation of the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and inviolability, neutrality or national unity of Cambodia, or of any of the other commitments herein, the parties to this agreement undertake to consult immediately with a view to adopting all appropriate steps to ensure respect for these commitments and resolving any such violations through peaceful means.

2.      Such steps may include, inter alia, reference of the matter of the Security Council of the United Nations or recourse to the means for the peaceful settlement of disputes referred to in Article 33 of the Charter of the United Nations.

3.      The parties to this Agreement may also call upon the assistance of the co-Chairmen of the Paris Conference on Cambodia.

4.      In the event of serious violations of human rights in Cambodia, they will call upon the competent organs of the United Nations to take such other steps as are appropriate for the prevention and suppression of such violations in accordance with the relevant international instruments.

Article 6

This Agreement shall enter into force upon signature.

Article 7

This Agreement shall remain open for accession by all States. The instruments of accession shall be deposited with the Governments of the French Republic and the Republic of Indonesia. For each State acceding to this Agreement, it shall enter into force on the date of deposit of its instrument of accession.

Article 8

The original of this Agreement, of which the Chinese, English, French, Khmer and Russian texts are equally authentic, shall be deposited with the Governments of the French Republic and the Republic of Indonesia, which shall transmit certified true copies to the Governments of the other States participating in the Paris Conference on Cambodia and to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

In witness whereof the undersigned plenipotentiaries, being duly authorized thereto, have signed this Agreement.

Done at Paris this twenty-third day of October, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-one.

Posted by USIP Library on: February 22 2000 Source Name: United Nations, Department of Public Information, Agreements on a Comprehensive Political Settlement of the Cambodia Conflict: Paris, 23 October 1991, January 1992, 7-40.

Source: United States Institute of Peace