Soeharto given royal welcome in cambodia
Soeharto given royal welcome in cambodia
PHNOM PENH (Agencies): Cambodia yesterday rolled out the red carpet for President Soeharto on his first state visit here in almost 30 years, amid hopes the trip will boost the country's bid to join the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Soeharto, accompanied by a 48-member official delegation including Foreign Minister Ali Alatas and State Secretary Moerdiono, will next travel to Laos and Myanmar, two other countries hoping to be accepted as full ASEAN members at the association's ministerial meeting in July in Kuala Lumpur.
Soeharto, who last visited Cambodia in 1968, arrived to a red- carpet welcome at Phnom Penh's Pochentong International Airport where he was met by Cambodia's King Norodom Sihanouk and top government officials.
Ceremonial guards wearing traditional dress and carrying spears stood at attention as Soeharto stepped off his Garuda Indonesia Boeing 737, greeted King Sihanouk and listened as a military band played the Cambodian and Indonesian national anthems.
Neither the king nor Soeharto made any public comments, but met the assembled diplomatic corps and government officials.
They then quickly headed to the palace as thousands of school children clad in blue and white uniforms lined the streets waving flags and portraits of the leaders.
Though officials from both sides said Cambodia's entry into ASEAN was not on the table for discussion, they admitted that Soeharto's visit could only boost the country's chances for entry.
"Of course I think it will help the admission, said Cambodian Foreign Minister Ung Huot. "Obviously good relations with ASEAN countries is a key to membership."
Indonesia's ambassador to Cambodia Hamid Alhadad agreed. "Certainly it will help, but (the subject) will not be discussed at length, " he told reporters.
On Friday in Jakarta, Moerdiono said the visit "will be used by all parties to strengthen bilateral ties, particularly in economic and trade cooperation.
"There will also be exchange of thoughts on various regional and international issues," he said.
Indonesia, which co-chaired the 1991 Paris peace talks and the resulting treaty that technically ended the civil war in Cambodia, has been a strong supporter of Cambodia's ASEAN application.
ASEAN, which groups Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, has said the three states will be admitted at the same time, but has not said when that will be.
At King Sihanouk's palace Soeharto also met several Cambodian officials including National Assembly Chairman Chea Sim and First and Second Prime Ministers Prince Norodom Ranariddh and Hun Sen.
ASEAN is known to be concerned about the recent sharp rise in tension between Prince Ranariddh's and Hun Sen's political parties.
Today the Indonesian delegation is expected to sign two bilateral agreements with the Cambodian side including a trade pact designed to promote a 1994 accord on economic and technical cooperation and a memorandum of understanding on oil and gas exploration and development.
The memorandum is expected to call for the creation of a joint commission to monitor petroleum projects.
The agreement will be signed by representatives of Indonesia's Pertamina state oil and gas company and the Cambodian ministry of industry, mines and energy.
Also on the agenda will be talks on reviving an aviation agreement signed on Soeharto's first state visit to Cambodia in 1968 which lapsed two years later when then-Prince Sihanouk was deposed in a coup.
The Indonesian president also attended a state banquet in his honor yesterday evening hosted by King Sihanouk and Queen Norodom Monineath Sihanouk who traveled to Jakarta last year at his invitation.
During his stay in Cambodia, Soeharto is also scheduled to visit the Silver Pagoda and the Elephant Stable as well as an telecommunications exhibition.
Soeharto is scheduled to depart tomorrow for Vientiane and Yangon.