UN Security Council voices "grave concern" at armed clashes between Cambodia, Thailand

8 Feb, 2011
Source: Xinhua

The UN Security Council on Monday voiced its "grave concern" at the armed border clashes between Cambodia and Thailand, and called on both countries to " resolve the situation peacefully."

Brazilian UN Ambassador Maria Luiza Ribertro Viotti, who holds the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council for February, made the remarks when she was reading a statement to reporters here.

"Members of the Council expressed grave concern at the aggravation of the tensions on the border," the statement said. " They called for a ceasefire and urged the parties to resolve the situation peacefully."

"They expressed support to the mediation efforts undertaken by the chair of ASEAN (the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations), the minister of foreign affairs of Indonesia," the statement said. "They expressed their willingness to hold a Security Council meeting pending an assessment of the ongoing regional mediation efforts."

"The Security Council took cognizance of the letters received from the governments of Cambodia and Thailand, concerning the military incidents on the border between the two countries," the statement said.

Cambodia and Thailand have written to the 15-nation Security Council on the hostilities around the ancient Preah Vihear temple in the border area, which reportedly left dozens of the two countries' soldiers and local residents killed and injured, and forced thousands of villagers to flee their homes.

On Sunday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement that he was "deeply concerned" by the renewed border fighting between Cambodia and Thailand, and called on both sides to make "an effective arrangement" to end hostilities and " exercise maximum restraint."

Ban is "consulting with senior advisers" on the issue, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky told reporters here Monday.

The Cambodian-Thai border dispute was brought before the Security Council after clashes in October 2008.

The border between Thailand and Cambodia has never been completely demarcated and the issue of Preah Vihear temple has been an age-old dispute.

Source: Xinhua