Thai army chief welcomes Cambodia talks on temple feud

A Cambodian soldier carries rockets near the Preah Vihear temple

Thai soldiers sit in a trench along the Thai and Cambodian border

BANGKOK (AFP) — Thailand's army chief welcomed Tuesday talks with Cambodia to resolve a two-week tense military standoff, but refused to commit to withdrawing troops from their border.

Cambodia and Thailand agreed during talks on Monday to consider pulling troops out of disputed land near an ancient temple, but did not commit to any firm steps to end the standoff.

"The resolution from the meeting between Cambodia and Thailand will help relieve tension and improve the situation," General Anupong Paojinda said.

"Lowering the troops at the border, however, needs to receive an order from the government first," he told AFP by phone.

Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith told AFP that "we hope that the situation will be eased" following the 12-hours of talks in the Cambodian tourist town of Siem Reap.

Foreign ministers from both countries emerged from the talks late Monday promising to ask their governments to redeploy the thousands of soldiers stationed around a small pagoda near the 11th century Preah Vihear temple.

The ruins of the Khmer temple, which sits on a mountaintop overlooking the jungle, belong to Cambodia, but the most practical entrance begins at the foot of a mountain in Thailand.

Both sides claim some of the surrounding territory and say a full resolution of the decades-long dispute is likely

to involve protracted negotiations.

The latest conflict has enflamed nationalist sentiment in both countries. In Cambodia, holding a strong stance on the temple helped Prime Minister Hun Sen win general elections on Sunday.

In Thailand, embattled Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej is threatened by nationalist protesters who have made the temple a core issue in calling for his resignation.