No consensus on Cambodia's entry into ASEAN

No consensus on Cambodia's entry into ASEAN

HANOI (Agencies): Members of the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN) still have not reached a consensus on
Cambodia's admission to the regional grouping, the ASEAN
secretary general said on Tuesday.

"There is no consensus so the foreign ministers will have to
continue dealing with it," Rudolfo Severino told AFP in an
interview.

He said ASEAN foreign ministers have been consulting
continuously by telephone, but would only take a decision at the
earliest on Saturday when they meet in Hanoi.

"In the end this will be a political decision, and in the case
that it is made, we will be ready," he added.

Severino said the ASEAN secretariat had prepared all the
necessary documents to make a speedy admission if a decision was
reached, which would enable Cambodia to participate as a member
at the ASEAN Summit on Dec. 15 and 16.

He declined to elaborate on how far the nine ASEAN member
countries were from reaching consensus.

Cambodia had been scheduled to join ASEAN in July 1997, but
its admission was put on hold after then-second premier Hun Sen
ousted first prime minister Prince Norodom Ranariddh amid heavy
fighting in Phnom Penh.

Last week, Cambodia's National Assembly overwhelmingly
approved a coalition government between Hun Sen's Cambodian
People's Party and the royalist FUNCINPEC party, led by Prince
Ranariddh which had finished second in the election.

Officials meeting for two days are expected to put the
finishing touches on the Hanoi Declaration and Plan of Action to
be issued at the conclusion of the ASEAN Summit.

In Phnom Penh, Cambodian officials expressed hope on Tuesday
that the country's return to the United Nations would pave the
way for the resumption of crucial foreign assistance.

They also dismissed concern that Cambodia might not be ready
to join ASEAN but opposition leader Sam Rainsy appealed to ASEAN
to reject Cambodia's entry, saying both ASEAN and Cambodia would
be damaged if Cambodia were to be let in now.

"I warmly welcome the return of our seat at the United
Nations," former senior co-premier and now National Assembly
president, Prince Norodom Ranariddh, told reporters.

Cambodia regained its UN seat on Monday after an absence of
more than a year due to political turmoil and the bloody collapse
of a previous coalition government.

"We need a lot from the United Nations for rehabilitating the
country in all fields, economic and social rehabilitation like
infrastructure and roads," Ranariddh said.

Several countries canceled aid programs to Cambodia after then
Ranariddh was deposed in July 1997.

Millions of dollars of aid were also put on hold.

The UN credentials committee decided to leave Cambodia's seat
vacant when it was claimed by rival factions two months after the
coup. But on Monday, the General Assembly endorsed a report by
the committee recommending acceptance of the delegation appointed
by the country's new government.

Ranariddh said some ASEAN members such as the Philippines,
Thailand and Singapore still had some concerns about Cambodia's
political stability and readiness to join the group but he
dismissed their worries.

"I am convinced there will be political stability," he said.
"We have been ready to be a member of ASEAN since 1997."

Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Tam Chien said on
Tuesday he was optimistic Cambodia would be formally admitted to
ASEAN -- which also groups Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
Myanmar and Vietnam -- at its annual summit in Hanoi next week.