U.S. demands Hun Sen accept ASEAN mediation
PETALING JAYA, Malaysia (JP): The United States expressed its clear antipathy to the regime in Cambodia yesterday, saying the situation is "unacceptable" and demanded its leader, Hun Sen, to accept mediation from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Addressing her counterparts at the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), which included Cambodian Foreign Minister Ung Huot, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said the recent political takeover by Hun Sen "will remain unacceptable until the Cambodian government fully reflects the freely expressed will of the Cambodian people".
"The United States has made it clear to Hun Sen that his cooperation with ASEAN mediation...is essential if Cambodia is to fully rejoin the international community," she said.
Second Prime Minister Hun Sen ousted First Prime Minister Norodom Ranariddh earlier this month. The political takeover ended a delicate coalition balance and months of bickering between the two premiers.
The turmoil prompted the delay of Cambodia's membership into ASEAN. The grouping then sent a three-minister team headed by Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas to speak to the embattled premiers.
Albright lauded ASEAN's efforts yesterday but insisted that efforts should now involve "concrete steps to ensure that free and fair elections are held in Cambodia" next May.
"We should be prepared to monitor the elections to ensure they are free from intimidation," she said.
The 21 ARF members ended their annual conference yesterday by issuing a chairman's statement expressing concern over the latest development in Cambodia and voicing support of ASEAN's initiative to engage in a peaceful solution to the crisis in Phnom Penh.
The statement came just hours after Ranariddh reportedly expelled Ung Huot from his royalist party. Ung Huot had been tipped to replace Ranariddh as first premier.
ARF chairman and host, Malaysian Foreign Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, said ASEAN will still deal with Ung Huot.
"At the moment, for as long as Ung Huot is still minister of foreign affairs of Cambodia, that is the man we have to deal with," he said.
The Philippines Foreign Minister Domingo L. Siazon separately said ASEAN would still have to verify the report on Ung Huot's expulsion.
Abdullah also said the meeting took note of assurances by Ung Huot that Cambodia had welcomed ASEAN's role in helping restore political stability in Cambodia.
Abdullah said the ministers' discussion was marked by some disagreement over Cambodia, nevertheless the meeting was able to iron out differences and reached a consensus.
Asked about further steps to be taken, Alatas, who led an ASEAN mission to Cambodia, said there were no new developments and that ASEAN was still waiting for a further reply from Phnom Penh.
The ASEAN mission also included Thai foreign minister Prachuab Chaiyasarn and Siazon.
Hun Sen had previously rebuffed ASEAN's offer, but later made an about-face and said he welcomed the association's role in restoring political stability in Cambodia. Even more recently, however, some media reports said he again rejected ASEAN's offer.
The confusion that ensued was the reason why ASEAN chose to wait for further confirmation from Hun Sen after Ung Huot returns to Phnom Penh today.
Similar expression of concern was voiced yesterday by Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen, who said that positive developments in the region were still marred by destabilizing factors.
"The eruption of an armed conflict in Cambodia is a matter of concern...(which) if not handled properly will adversely affect peace and stability in the region."
The European Union's representative Jacques Poos said the EU was very concerned about developments in Cambodia as they could affect regional stability.
He called on the association "to use all of its influence to find a peaceful solution to the recent violence and to persuade Cambodian authorities to restore a situation consistent with the Paris peace agreement". (swe/mds)
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