ASEAN ignores Hun Sen's call for int'l recognition

ASEAN ignores Hun Sen's call for int'l recognition

PHNOM PENH (Agencies): Cambodian strongman Hun Sen appealed to
the international community Wednesday to recognize his
leadership, but failed to sway his Southeast Asian neighbors.

In an emotional plea, Hun Sen drew on the powerful memories of
the country's bloody history and its tragic twists of fate to
argue that his leadership deserved to be approved.

As Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members met
in Kuala Lumpur and reaffirmed their suspension of Cambodia's
entry bid because of its new crisis, Second Prime Minister Hun
Sen accused the outside world of turning a blind eye to alleged
crimes committed by First Prime Minister Prince Norodom
Ranariddh.

"I feel so sad, we only stopped the war, but we are blamed,"
he said in a radio broadcast.

Cambodian officials in Phnom Penh said however they were not
surprised by ASEAN's decision. "This is not a surprise at all,"
said a senior foreign ministry official.

"We recognized that there was not enough time to do what we
needed to do for entry on July 23," he said. Parliament is to
meet on Monday and is expected to officially depose Prince
Ranariddh from his position.

Hun Sen ousted the prince after two days of street battles in
Phnom Penh, in which 65 people died and at least 129 were
wounded, according to his toll.

But he has vehemently denied charges of staging a coup, and
lashed out at what he called the "injustice" of world reaction to
the events.

"The issue with foreign countries is this: they kill us," Hun
Sen said. "They dropped bombs on our heads, they helped (Khmer
Rouge leader) Pol Pot kill us and then they put sanctions on us."

He was referring to past history when the United States bombed
and invaded Cambodia in the 1970s, then led a crippling economic
embargo against it amid western support in the 1980s for the
anti-Vietnamese resistance, a loose alliance which included the
feared Khmer Rouge rebels.

Asian diplomats in Phnom Penh welcomed an about-face by
Cambodia's Hun Sen on mediation in Cambodia's troubles and said
they were awaiting the premier's approval for regional peace
efforts.

Last week, Hun Sen dismissed a mediation offer by an ASEAN
delegation led by Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas, saying
foreigners should stay out of Cambodia's business.

He had earlier rejected a mediation offer by King Norodom
Sihanouk.

But Cambodian Foreign Minister Ung Huot, speaking to reporters
in Kuala Lumpur after he arrived to attend an ASEAN foreign
ministers' meeting as an observer, said Hun Sen was now in favor
of mediation by the regional group.

"We have ... decided that we want ASEAN to be a mediator," Ung
Huot told reporters. "That is the new position," Ung Huot said,
when asked if Hun Sen endorsed ASEAN's mediation efforts.

The foreign ministry in Phnom Penh also released a statement
saying Hun Sen supported regional mediation efforts.

Hun Sen was not immediately available for comment yesterday
and his aides said they were not aware of any policy change by
him.

Cambodia was due to join ASEAN yesterday but the group
suspended its membership indefinitely in the aftermath of the
bloody overthrow of Ranariddh.

Diplomats in Phnom Penh said they were waiting to hear Hun Sen
announce the policy shift.

"It's a statement to make peace again with ASEAN but it would
be more credible if Hun Sen acknowledged it himself," one
diplomat said. "It's a step forward for whatever it's worth," he
said.