'Friends of Cambodia' support Sihanouk-led efforts

NEW YORK, Sept. 22 Kyodo

A group of donors and nations with a keen interest in Cambodia agreed Tuesday to support the efforts of King Norodom Sihanouk to form a coalition government there as soon as possible, a Japanese official said.

The agreement was reached at a foreign ministerial meeting of the "Friends of Cambodia," initiated by U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on the fringes of the U.N. General Assembly session, the official said.

The group called for the king-moderated coalition before the opening of the new National Assembly on Sept. 24 to end the political crisis since the July 26 election, he said.

The ministers also agreed on the importance of continuing to show strong international interest in Cambodia and in its democratic process, he said.

The group cited Cambodian membership in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United Nations as incentives to convince the government to solve the crisis.

Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura expressed his support for the king's efforts, and he underscored Japan's position of "basically leaving decisions to the Cambodian people," the official said.

Some nations, which the official declined to identify, said the group should not press Cambodia too hard because it is likely to take a long time for the nation to settle down.

Others called for a close watch on human rights, he said.

Participants in the meeting included foreign ministers from Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines -- the ASEAN troika assigned to deal with Cambodia -- along with those from France, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and the U.S.

Many other nations also sent representatives to the meeting.

The official said the agreements are expected to be conveyed to Cambodia by the ASEAN troika.

The other ASEAN members are Brunei, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and Vietnam.

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