Cambodia welcomes Le Kha Phieu

Cambodia welcomes Le Kha Phieu

PHNOM PENH (Reuters): Vietnam's Communist Party Secretary- General Le Kha Phieu was given a red-carpet welcome upon arrival in Cambodia on Wednesday for a 24-hour visit aimed at ironing out nagging disagreements between the neighbors.

But while thousands of schoolchildren lined the route from the airport to the city waving flags in welcome, a group of university students staged a noisy rally against Phieu's visit, burning Vietnamese flags inside their campus beside the airport road.

Phieu was met upon arrival by all of Cambodia's top leaders including King Norodom Sihanouk, Prime Minister Hun Sen and National Assembly president Prince Norodom Ranariddh.

Ranariddh said after a recent visit to Vietnam the two countries had agreed to resolve by the end of the year all outstanding disagreements, including border disputes and illegal immigration from Vietnam to Cambodia.