Cambodia scores win with successful summit<\/p>\n
Luke Hunt, Agence France-Presse, Phnom Penh<\/p>\n
Phnom Penh confounded its critics this week by carrying off the
\nannual ASEAN summit with aplomb, and won a rare round of applause
\nfrom peers and critics alike.<\/p>\n
With last month's deadly Bali bomb blasts raising fears of a
\nterrorist attack during the two-day event, a military dragnet to
\nprotect leaders from 15 countries was unprecedently tight.<\/p>\n
Thousands of police shut down a dozen city blocks surrounding
\nthe Intercontinental Hotel, where the 10-member Association of
\nSoutheast Nations (ASEAN) held its summit and ran parallel
\nmeetings with China, India, Japan, South Africa and South Korea.<\/p>\n
Officials from all quarters were deeply worried this country's
\nculture of lawlessness and impunity, coupled with the gathering
\nof the 15 leaders, could be the perfect opportunity for another
\ndevastating terrorist attack.<\/p>\n
But after four days of meetings that ended in a raft of
\nhistoric pacts, a dazzling sideshow with compliments from a
\nrevered monarch, and no security breach, Cambodia had written
\nitself a fresh page in Asia's history books.<\/p>\n
\"As far as we are concerned, it shows that when Cambodians
\ndecide to do something they can work together at all levels, it
\nwas a tremendous success,\" Singapore ambassador Verghese Mathews
\ntold AFP on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
During the summit that ended on Tuesday, prime ministers and
\npresidents presented a united front in the international fight on
\nterrorism and demanded North Korea dismantle its nuclear
\ncapabilities.<\/p>\n
New trade accords were also forged that could turn East Asia
\ninto the world's largest free trading market and a surprise pact
\n-- brokered by Cambodian diplomat Chem Widhya -- was announced on
\neasing tensions over the hotly contested Spratly Islands.<\/p>\n
ASEAN's chief spokesman M.C. Abad best summed-up sentiment
\nover what has been termed the \"Cambodian Agreement\" for the
\npotentially oil rich islands.<\/p>\n
\"The Cambodia Agreement is a fitting tribute to a country that
\nhas gone a long way in transforming itself from a place which is
\nalmost synonymous with the Killing Fields to a broker of an
\ninstrument of peace in the region,\" he said.<\/p>\n
For Cambodia the ASEAN summit delivered dollars, cache, and
\nmitigated this country's reputation as a political and economic
\nbackwater still trying to cope with the tragic legacy stemming
\nfrom nearly 30 years of war.<\/p>\n
No one was more conscious of this than the nation's 80-year-
\nold King Norodom Sihanouk, who lost 14 children and grandchildren
\nto the Khmer Rouge during their brutal 1975-79 reign.<\/p>\n
As host to a spectacular banquet the monarch sang before
\nChinese Prime Minister Zhu Rongji and his counterparts, belted
\nout a tune on the saxapohone, and danced the presidents of
\nIndonesia and the Philippines off their feet.<\/p>\n
Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri, under the most
\npressure out of all the regional leaders following the Oct. 12
\nblast in Bali that killed more than 190 people, particularly
\nenjoyed the light relief with the king.<\/p>\n
\"She was most impressed to the point where Megawati demanded
\nan encore from the monarch,\" a palace insider told AFP of their
\ndance.<\/p>\n
Mathews reflected the views of many when summarizing
\nCambodia's hosting of the event.<\/p>\n
\"As far as Cambodians are concerned they all should be very
\nproud, this is good for Cambodia and good for ASEAN.\"<\/p>",
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