Cambodia, U.S. upbeat after Havana talks

Cambodia, U.S. upbeat after Havana talks

PHNOM PENH (AP): Cambodia and the United Nations appear closer
to a deal to jointly try Khmer Rouge leaders for genocide
following a meeting between UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and
Prime Minister Hun Sen, Cambodian and U.S. officials said on
Thursday.

The United Nations announced after the Wednesday meeting in
Havana that the two leaders agreed to a new round of negotiations
as soon as possible to solve outstanding differences on the
proposed tribunal.

A senior negotiator of Hun Sen's reacted positively to the UN
statement, saying the two sides were inching closer to an
agreement to find justice for the 1.7 million victims of the
Khmer Rouge reign of terror in the late 1970s.

"After each meeting we get some results," negotiator Om
Yentieng said. "The door is still open."

Cambodia and the United Nations have bickered for more than a
year over which side would hold effective control of indictments
and judgments in an unprecedented joint tribunal.

The main remaining sticking point appears to be how co-
prosecutors - one Cambodian, one UN-appointed - would resolve
disputes over who should stand trial.

The United Nations initially demanded an independent foreign
prosecutor, but Cambodia rejected the formula, fearing that too
many indictments of former Khmer Rouge could upset the country's
newfound peace.

The Khmer Rouge seized power 25 years ago, forcing Cambodian's
entire population into slave-like farming collectives. Resulting
starvation, disease, overwork and mass executions caused the
deaths of one in four Cambodians.

The brutal regime was toppled in 1979 by a Vietnamese
invasion, but the group survived until the late 1990s in
guerrilla bases on the jungled border of Cambodia and Thailand.

The United States has acted as an informal go-between during
the drawn out talks for a tribunal. U.S. Senator John Kerry of
Massachusetts traveled to Havana this week, conferring with Annan
before his meeting with Hun Sen.

The U.S. ambassador to Cambodia, Kent Wiedemann, said that
Annan and Hun Sen "covered a lot of additional ground" and
appeared closer to solving the prosecution impasse.

"But they didn't quite get there all the way," Wiedemann said.
"Clearly both sides continue to strive for closure and
agreement."

Cambodian and UN negotiators, who last met in Phnom Penh in
March, will meet again "in the shortest amount of time" either at
UN headquarters in New York or in Phnom Penh, according to the UN
statement.