Top level meeting to discuss temple

Thailand and Cambodia yesterday agreed to send their foreign ministers to Siem Reap next Monday, to discuss a resolution to the recent border conflict.

The move followed a decision by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to withdraw his country's request for the UN to intervene in the dispute.

Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said: "Premier Hun Sen promised me during today's telephone conversation that he would withdraw the UN request. We also agree that both foreign ministers would meet in Siem Reap on July 28."

Samak will have to appoint a new foreign minister, so that Thailand will be officially represented at next Monday's meeting. The foreign minister's job has been vacant since Noppadon Pattama quit the post after the Constitution Court ruled against the joint communique he signed with Cambodia in May.

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council has delayed its decision on whether to accept Cambodia's request for its involvement in the border dispute.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice suggested the row over Preah Vihear Temple should be resolved within the region.

"It's [premature] right now, because there are bilateral consultations going on and because Asean's taking a role," she said.

The 15-member Security Council consists of the US, the UK, France, Russia and China as permanent members. Indonesia and Vietnam are among 10 non-permanent members at the moment.

The US together with China and Russia prefers the dispute be resolved within the region, assisted by Asean.

"My understanding is there are some efforts to solve it in bilateral discussions, but Asean is also taking the role of watching and trying to help if necessary," Rice said.

Don Pramudwinai, Thailand's ambassador to the UN, said earlier that a meeting there could not decide the matter, because certain countries - particularly the US, which is a permanent member - did not agree with Cambodia's request. UN regulations stipulate that a decision on a matter should carry unanimous agreement among the members.

"It is beneficial for us that the US does not agree with Cambodia's idea for the UN to referee the dispute," Don said.

Don added that it was France that was strongly insisting on having an emergency session for the dispute.

Deputy Prime Minister Sahas Banditkul met with French Deputy Foreign Minister Rama Yade on the sideline of an Asean meeting to give Thailand's input.

The French bottom line for this issue is to ask both sides to exercise restraint and seek peaceful ways of ending the conflict.

Sahas said the French had declined to give a clear indication about whether it still supported an emergency Security Council session to discuss the dispute.

The border stand-off followed the two countries' failure to resolve the issue at meeting of their mutual General Border Committee on Monday.

"I made very clear to all my Asean colleagues that the US will be very much interested in the facts, guided by the regional assessment of what needs to be done here," Rice said in Singapore.

The row over Preah Vihear was a subject of discussion in almost all forums during a series of Asean conferences in Singapore this week, including the final one, the Asean Regional Forum (ARF) with ministers from 27 nations.

"The issue should not go to the UN Security Council. It was not a problem even a few weeks ago. It suddenly became a problem. Why? We all know the background," said Singaporean Foreign Minister George Yeo, who chaired the ARF.