Thai-Cambodia Border Issue Addressed at U.N. Security Council

http://english.ntdtv.com/

via CAAI

2011-02-15

On Monday, the U.N. Security Council voiced grave concern about the recent Thai-Cambodian border clashes. The Council has decided to leave the issue in the hands of Asian Regional Association ASEAN.

Cambodia asked the council to order the deployment of U.N. peacekeepers to the border.

Indonesia’s foreign minister attended the Security Council meeting in his capacity as ASEAN chairman. He says he will continue to facilitate dialogue between the two sides.

[Marty Natalegawa, ASEAN Chairman]:

"Today during the course of the Council's discussion, I hear loudly and clearly the wish by the Council members that actually the preference is for the issue to be resolved peacefully and through dialogue and negotiations and this has been the point that Indonesia, as chair of ASEAN, has reinforced on many occasions and there was also recognition that the ceasefire must hold and that there must be some kind of modalities or some kind of communication system developed to ensure that the ceasefire holds."

The Security Council says its role would be limited to supporting efforts to negotiate an end to the two neighboring countries’ conflict.

Council members urged Cambodia and Thailand to show restraint and avoid any action that may aggravate the situation, and urged cooperation with ASEAN mediators.

Thailand and Cambodia blame each other for recent clashes near the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple that killed at least three Thais and eight Cambodians. At least 34 Thais and 55 Cambodians were wounded, according to the two sides.