A Cambodian soldier carries a shoulder-launched grenade launcher while guarding a road which leads to the ruins of Preah Vihear temple near the Thai-Cambodia border . Senior defence officials from Thailand and Cambodia will meet Monday to try and resolve a week-long military standoff on their border, but pessimism has clouded the talks.(AFP/Tang Chhin Sothy) PREAH VIHEAR, Cambodia (AFP) - Senior defence officials from Thailand and Cambodia will meet Monday to try and resolve a week-long military standoff on their border, but pessimism has clouded the talks.
As more than 500 Thai and 1,000 Cambodian troops face off in a patch of disputed land near an ancient temple , Thai Supreme Commander General Boonsrang Niumpradit will sit down in an eastern Thai border town with Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh to try and hammer out a resolution.
Both countries have expressed willingness to peacefully diffuse the territorial dispute in which weapons were briefly drawn last week, but there appears to be little room for diplomatic manoeuvring.
Brigadier Chea Keo, commander of the Cambodian forces in the disputed area, said Sunday he had little faith in the talks because Thailand insisted that the land near the 11th century Preah Vihear temple was inside their country.
Cambodia maintains that Thai troops are trespassing on their territory.
"We have very little hope about the negotiations," Chea Keo said.
Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, meanwhile, said on his weekly Sunday television show that negotiations would not be easy since both countries were sticking to their original positions.
The World Court ruled in 1962 that Preah Vihear belongs to Cambodia. But the most accessible entrance to the Khmer ruins lies in Thailand, and 4.6 square kilometres (1.8 square miles) of the surrounding land remains in dispute.
Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said they had sent a letter to the United Nations to try and draw attention to what they say is an illegal Thai incursion, but insisted they were committed to Monday's talks.
"We will try to do our best to resolve the situation peacefully and bilaterally," he told AFP.
Recent tensions between the neighbours began with Cambodia's moves to have Preah Vihear -- which the World Court in 1962 said belonged to Cambodia -- listed as a United Nations World Heritage Site.
UN cultural body UNESCO earlier this month finally granted heritage status to the Hindu temple perched on a mountaintop, sparking an outcry from nationalist groups in Thailand who are battling Samak's government.
Thailand historically laid claim to the temple itself, but the dispute is now focused on the surrounding land.
The situation boiled over after three Thai protesters were arrested on Tuesday for jumping a fence to reach the temple. Troops headed to the border, and on Thursday witnesses said they had pointed their guns at each other.
Both sides have set up around a small Buddhist pagoda on the slope of a mountain leading to the ruins of Preah Vihear.
The standoff is of great national importance to both countries.
Cambodia is preparing for general elections on July 27, and Prime Minister Hun Sen has portrayed the UN recognition of the ruins as a national triumph, organising huge public celebrations.
Thailand remains in the grip of anti-government protests, with its cabinet threatened by impeachment proceedings.
The territorial dispute has long dogged relations between the two countries, which were last strained in 2003 when rioters burned and looted Thailand's embassy and several Thai-owned businesses in Phnom Penh after a row over Cambodia's Angkor Wat temple.
As more than 500 Thai and 1,000 Cambodian troops face off in a patch of disputed land near an ancient temple , Thai Supreme Commander General Boonsrang Niumpradit will sit down in an eastern Thai border town with Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh to try and hammer out a resolution.
Both countries have expressed willingness to peacefully diffuse the territorial dispute in which weapons were briefly drawn last week, but there appears to be little room for diplomatic manoeuvring.
Brigadier Chea Keo, commander of the Cambodian forces in the disputed area, said Sunday he had little faith in the talks because Thailand insisted that the land near the 11th century Preah Vihear temple was inside their country.
Cambodia maintains that Thai troops are trespassing on their territory.
"We have very little hope about the negotiations," Chea Keo said.
Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, meanwhile, said on his weekly Sunday television show that negotiations would not be easy since both countries were sticking to their original positions.
The World Court ruled in 1962 that Preah Vihear belongs to Cambodia. But the most accessible entrance to the Khmer ruins lies in Thailand, and 4.6 square kilometres (1.8 square miles) of the surrounding land remains in dispute.
Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said they had sent a letter to the United Nations to try and draw attention to what they say is an illegal Thai incursion, but insisted they were committed to Monday's talks.
"We will try to do our best to resolve the situation peacefully and bilaterally," he told AFP.
Recent tensions between the neighbours began with Cambodia's moves to have Preah Vihear -- which the World Court in 1962 said belonged to Cambodia -- listed as a United Nations World Heritage Site.
UN cultural body UNESCO earlier this month finally granted heritage status to the Hindu temple perched on a mountaintop, sparking an outcry from nationalist groups in Thailand who are battling Samak's government.
Thailand historically laid claim to the temple itself, but the dispute is now focused on the surrounding land.
The situation boiled over after three Thai protesters were arrested on Tuesday for jumping a fence to reach the temple. Troops headed to the border, and on Thursday witnesses said they had pointed their guns at each other.
Both sides have set up around a small Buddhist pagoda on the slope of a mountain leading to the ruins of Preah Vihear.
The standoff is of great national importance to both countries.
Cambodia is preparing for general elections on July 27, and Prime Minister Hun Sen has portrayed the UN recognition of the ruins as a national triumph, organising huge public celebrations.
Thailand remains in the grip of anti-government protests, with its cabinet threatened by impeachment proceedings.
The territorial dispute has long dogged relations between the two countries, which were last strained in 2003 when rioters burned and looted Thailand's embassy and several Thai-owned businesses in Phnom Penh after a row over Cambodia's Angkor Wat temple.
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