Cambodia poised for ASEAN: Goh

Cambodia poised for ASEAN: Goh

PHNOM PENH (Reuter): Cambodia was on track to join the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in July next year,
Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong said yesterday.

"I think Cambodia will probably be ahead of Laos and Myanmar
(Burma)," Goh, referring to two other countries with ASEAN
observer status, said at the end of a two-day visit to Cambodia.

Cambodia had made progress towards rehabilitation, Goh said.
But he added that he still had some lingering concerns over
political stability in the country.

"The message the Cambodian government has to put across is
that...whatever happens in the upcoming elections, the ruling
government will do a lot for foreign investors," he said.

Singapore is Cambodia's leading trading partner, with more
than $350 million in investment in the first eight months of
1996, said Cambodia's Minister of Commerce, Cham Prasidh.