ASEAN proposes deal for Ranarridh to run in election
ASEAN proposes deal for Ranarridh to run in election
MANILA (Agencies): Southeast Asian governments proposed a compromise formula yesterday to enable exiled Prince Norodom Ranarridh to run in Cambodia's elections, under which he could be tried, pardoned and then join the poll race.
The Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand tried to break the impasse in the face of Cambodian co-Premier Hun Sen's insistence that he will arrest his rival and put him on trial if he comes home.
Ranarridh has stayed out of Cambodia since a bloody coup led by Hun Sen in July last year ousted him as first prime minister, but has declared his intention to return home next month to take part in the July 26 general election.
The Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand are members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), which has urged Hun Sen to allow all groups to take part in the vote to make it credible.
"Perhaps the best scenario if, indeed Prime Minister Hun Sen would arrest Prince Ranarridh...would be to have a trial in absentia and finish the trial by the first week of March and then have the amnesty process by the second week," Philippine Foreign Secretary Domingo Siazon said.
That would enable Ranarridh to meet the March 20 deadline for the filing of candidacy, Siazon told reporters.
"That would be better, that's the safest thing," he added. Siazon, Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas and Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuan spoke at a joint news conference after holding talks on the Cambodian problem.
The ASEAN "troika" also met an 11-nation group, called Friends of Cambodia, which includes the United States, Japan, the European Union and Russia.
"The troika stressed the need for obtaining certainty concerning the political status of Prince Ranarridh," they said.
They voiced hope that King Sihanouk would return to Cambodia soon, calling him "a unifying force of the Cambodian people".
Warned
The informal grouping "Friends of Cambodia" has warned that Cambodian ruler Hun Sen risked losing international assistance for the polls unless the terms of the Tokyo plan are met.
"If the issue of participation is not resolved, the Friends of Cambodia would have to individually review their continuing assistance for the electoral process," the group said.
Tokyo's plan, which has been conveyed to Phnom Penh, calls for the exiled Prince Ranariddh to "abandon any military cooperation" with the Khmer Rouge, an immediate ceasefire, the trial of Ranariddh, and his pardon by his father King Norodom Sihanouk in the event he is convicted.
It also calls on Phnom Penh to guarantee Ranariddh's "security and safety" and to allow him to take part in the polls once he ends his exile.
Hun Sen has accused Ranarridh of plotting a coup and says he preempted it by his own armed takeover. The prince dismisses the charges as politically motivated.
ASEAN deferred Cambodia's membership last year after Ranarridh was ousted.
Alatas denied ASEAN was interfering in Cambodia's affairs.
"What we are saying...is that it is necessary to obtain certainty about his (Ranarridh's) political fate. Whether he is going to be tried ...(or) convicted, that we leave to the Cambodians. That's an internal affair. But we would like to know what is going to happen," Alatas said.
"All that we are saying is let this process go (through)."
In its joint statement, the "troika" welcomed Ranarridh's decision to return home and urged the Hun Sen government to ensure his participation in the election.
The European Union has agreed to provide Phnom Penh with $11.5 million to a major portion of the polls.