Hun Sen meets American critic

Hun Sen meets American critic

PHNOM PENH (AP): Prime Minister Hun Sen's fiercest American critic expressed hope for Cambodia's fledgling democracy after visiting the capital on Friday, saying he had been "pessimistic looking at the situation from a distance".

Barely more than a year after calling for Hun Sen to be investigated for alleged war crimes, U.S. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher said the prime minister should be given a year to prove whether he is a true democrat.

"I think that we've got to watch what he's doing in the next 12 months," the California Republican said after meeting with Hun Sen. "There is no reason to attack people for what they've done in the past, in terms of people who are participating in the democratic process."

The one-day visit coincided with a general warming of relations between Cambodia and the United States since Hun Sen won an election in 1998 and claimed legitimate control of the government.