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.