Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong on May 6 rejected a Thai demand to withdraw troops from Preah Vihear temple at the disputed border area, saying that Bangkok was not serious about peace.
After a meeting with his Indonesian counterpart, Marty Natalegawa in Jakarta, Hor Namhong told reporters that Cambodia would never withdraw troops from the country’s own territory.
Indonesia is trying to arrange a ceasefire and a deployment of neutral military observers to the disputed border area, where 18 people were killed in fighting in recent months.
This issue is likely to be discussed at the Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders, to be held in Jakarta on May 7.
Analysts said that as ASEAN chair, Indonesia has been trying to use its position to broker an end to Thai-Cambodian disputes, which are undermining ASEAN's ambitions to create a closely integrated community by 2015.
Natalegawa said that Cambodia had agreed to the terms of the observer mission but Thailand was insisting on the withdrawal of Cambodia's troops from the temple.
(VNA/VOVNews)
