Cambodian PM "has no plan" to meet Thai counterpart at Mekong summit

Phnom Penh: According Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong, Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen still has no plan to hold any separate talks with the Thai prime minister when he leads a high-level Cambodian delegation to attend a summit to be held in Thailand early April.

Koy Kuong said that until 24 March, the Cambodian Foreign Ministry had not yet received any official information that Prime Minister Hun Sen would hold separate bilateral talks with Thai Prime Minister Aphisit, except his multilateral discussions at the summit to be held in Thailand early April.

Cambodia and Thailand have had diplomatic relations problems since Thai troops invaded Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple border area on 15 August 2008.

Koy Kuong added that the diplomatic relations and border talks between Cambodia and Thailand had been at a standstill until now, without any solutions found.

While the two countries' diplomatic relations and border problems have remained unsettled, Thai Prime Minister Aphisit Wetchachiwa, has invited Prime Minister Hun Sen to attend the first Mekong River Commission Summit to be held in Prachuab Khiri Khan, Thailand, between 4 and 5 April.

An announcement issued by the Cambodian Foreign Ministry said that the delegation members to accompany Prime Minister Hun Sen to the summit in Thailand included Hor Namhong, deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation; Cham Prasith, state minister and minister of commerce; Mok Mareth, state minister and minister of environment; Chan Sarun, minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries; Lim Kean-hor, minister of water resources and meteorology, and other high-level officials of the Royal Government of Cambodia.

The announcement also indicated that at the end of the summit in Thailand, there would be an adoption of a declaration on meeting the needs, keeping the balance towards sustainable development of the Mekong River basin.

Originally published by Reaksmei Kampuchea, Phnom Penh, in Cambodian 25 Mar 10.