ASEAN entry to save Cambodia

ASEAN entry to save Cambodia

HONG KONG (AFP): The admission of Cambodia into the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will enable the
group to save the nation from descending into chaos, Philippine
Foreign Secretary Domingo Siazon said yesterday.

Cambodia's entry in July, along with Myanmar and Laos, was
decided in May partly out of the "concern of the ASEAN foreign
ministers that the situation might deteriorate further in
Cambodia," Siazon told AFP.

"Therefore, it would be better to accept Cambodia now so that
ASEAN will be able to involve itself in trying to assist Cambodia
resolve the internal situation (there)."

Siazon said his fellow foreign ministers of ASEAN members
Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand
and Vietnam, were to hold talks here today on the sidelines of
the Hong Kong handover and the discussions would include
political developments in Phnom Penh.