Hun Sen warns UN about Ranariddh
Hun Sen warns UN about Ranariddh
PHNOM PENH (AFP): Cambodian strongman Hun Sen warned the United Nations yesterday against letting deposed co-premier Prince Norodom Ranariddh attend the UN General Assembly and defended a cabinet reshuffle which ousted the prince's supporters.
"If the UN allows people who fled the country after committing crimes which killed a lot of people and in violation of the king's decision, I wouldn't understand," the second prime minister said.
Prince Ranariddh, who was deposed by Hun Sen after fighting in July and is now in exile, plans to attend the UN meeting which begins next week in his capacity as Cambodia's elected first prime minister.
But his cause suffered a setback this month when King Norodom Sihanouk, the prince's father, signed a letter of accreditation that named Hun Sen and newly named First Prime Minister Ung Huot as the leaders of Cambodia's delegation.
The new Phnom Penh regime is eager for full international recognition and Ung Huot has asked UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to bar "impostors" from the general assembly as Cambodia's representatives.
Prince Ranariddh has since appealed to his father to rescind the accreditation and lead the delegation himself without any politicians, unless another compromise can be found. Ideas include leaving the UN seat empty until scheduled elections next year.
The king has not yet responded, but Hun Sen, speaking to reporters after a ceremony at Phnom Penh's school of agriculture, said having only one person represent Cambodia would not be appropriate.
"If they allow one person alone to represent Cambodia at the UN, it would be ridiculous," he said, adding that he expected to attend the session with Ung Huot and would tell the world the truth about his country.
"I have to tell them that there is nothing strange in Cambodia," he said. "Cambodia is still Cambodia. We want to tell them not to be confused."
Reshuffle
Hun Sen also defended a cabinet reshuffle Thursday, which strips four of Prince Ranariddh's supporters of ministerial posts and replaces them with leaders of a pro-Hun Sen renegade group within the prince's party.
The reshuffle, which the prince and his supporters have decried, also created three new vice-premier positions, giving Cambodian five deputy prime ministers.
Hun Sen did not address the prince's complaints about the changes but said an increasing workload on the co-premiers had made the five deputy positions necessary.
"(Five) is not a lot because nowadays the prime ministers have too much work. The prime ministers have no time to think about strategy," Hun Sen said.
The reshuffle, which the current cabinet has already approved and many observers say is a "done deal", must still be formally adopted by parliament before it goes into effect.
With uncustomary speed, the National Assembly is expected to ratify the changes next week.