| |
SINGAPORE: Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo said on Tuesday that both Cambodia and Thailand have reiterated that they are committed to a peaceful resolution of the Preah Vihear issue.
Cambodian and Thai leaders at the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Singapore have assured the ASEAN Chair that the General Border Commission will continue to meet and the next meeting will be held in the near future.
The area near the Preah Vihear Temple is the focus of a territorial dispute between Cambodia and Thailand, but both countries said they would settle the dispute amicably.
ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan said: "They have made some progress. They have met at the border and both sides are still hoping to find a solution."
Mr Yeo said there was a proposal for an ASEAN contact group to help support the efforts of Cambodia and Thailand to find a peaceful resolution to the issue.
However, while the proposal found favour with a number of ASEAN foreign ministers, there was also a general view that the bilateral process should be allowed to continue and there is currently no consensus on the formation of such a group.
Mr Yeo said he has requested Cambodia and Thailand to provide an update at the next informal ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in New York, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
He added that Thailand and Cambodia have also given the assurance that they will exercise utmost restraint, and resolve the issue amicably in the spirit of ASEAN solidarity and good neighbourliness.
- CNA/so
|
