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Cambodia hopes Suharto visit will boost its bid to join ASEAN

Source
Straits Times - February 18, 1997

Phnom Penh – Cambodia rolled out the red carpet yesterday for Indonesian President Suharto on his first state visit in almost 30 years, amid hopes that the trip would boost the country's bid to join Asean.

The Indonesian leader, accompanied by a 48-member official delegation including Foreign Minister Ali Alatas and State Secretary Moerdiono, will also travel to Laos and Myanmar – two other nations hoping to be accepted as full members at Asean's ministerial meeting in July.

Mr Suharto was received warmly at Phnom Penh's Pochentong International Airport by Cambodia's King Norodom Sihanouk and top government officials.

Neither the King nor Mr Suharto made any public comments.

Although officials from both sides said Cambodia's entry into Asean was not on the table for discussion, they admitted that Mr Suharto's visit could only boost the country's chances for entry.

Said Cambodian Foreign Minister Ung Huot: "Of course I think it will help the admission. Obviously good relations with Asean countries is a key to membership."

Indonesia's ambassador to Cambodia, Mr Hamid Alhadad, agreed.

"Certainly it will help, but the subject will not be dis-cussed at length," he told reporters.

Indonesia, which co-chaired the 1991 Paris peace talks and the resulting treaty that ended the civil war in Cambodia, has been a strong supporter of the nation's Asean application.

The grouping has said that Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar would be admitted at the same time, but has not said when that would be.

Asean is known to be concerned about the recent sharp rise in tension between the political parties of the first and second Prime Ministers, Prince Norodom Ranaridh and Mr Hun Sen.

The Indonesian delegation is scheduled to sign two bilateral agreements today – a trade pact to promote a 1994 accord on economic and technical co-operation, and a Memorandum of Understanding on oil and gas exploration and development.

Also on the agenda will be talks on reviving an aviation agreement signed during Mr Suharto's first visit in 1968 which lapsed when then-Prince Sihanouk was deposed in a coup two years later.

Mr Suharto is scheduled to depart tomorrow for Vientiane and Yangon. – AFP

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