Alatas warms up to Phnom Penh

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas hailed on Thursday the formation of the new coalition government in Cambodia, saying that this bodes well for Phnom Penh's intention to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this month.

"Indonesia welcomes the formation of the new coalition government of Cambodia which signals the determination of the Cambodian people to restore peace, stability and national unity in their country," Alatas said in a statement.

"With the formation of the new government, Indonesia hopes that the process for admitting Cambodia as a full member of ASEAN will be initiated forthwith, so that the admission could take place during the Sixth ASEAN summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, in the middle of this month," he said.

On Tuesday, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen pushed his case for joining ASEAN at the Hanoi summit, arguing that there was no more reason to leave his country out of the regional framework.