The foreign ministers of Cambodia
and Thailand
on Monday failed to reach bilateral agreement on an ongoing dispute involving
thousands of armed troops along the border that has led to at least one clash in recent weeks.
Foreign Minister Hor Namhong met with Thai Foreign Minister Sompong Amornwiwat in Phnom Penh, following a brief skirmish in which both Thai and Cambodian soldiers were wounded near Preah Vihear temple early this month.
Cambodia said in a statement Monday it wanted an immediate meeting between task forces on each side for the “redeployment” of troops at a pagoda near Preah Vihear temple; the withdrawal of Thai troops from two temples in Oddar Meanchey’s Ta Moan temple complex; and that a third in the complex, Ta Krabey, remain unoccupied.
The standoff between the two countries began in July over the inclusion of Preah Vihear temple, and observers warn that a protracted standoff could end in violence.
Hor Namhong said ahead of Monday’s meeting failure to reach an agreement on the border could lead to a round of Cambodian appeals among the international community.
Sompong was to take Cambodia’s requests to the Thai government for consideration, a Cambodian Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
