CPP Honorary President Heng Samrin on Wednesday charged Funcinpec President Prince Norodom Ranariddh with purposely halting the process of forming a new coalition government, a day after the two parties wrapped up their first phase of negotiations.
The senior CPP stalwart blamed Prince Ranariddh’s frequent absence from Cambodia for blocking the progress, particularly in the past two months when the CPP and Funcinpec held numerous talks to hammer out a policy platform for the new government.
The two parties completed the policy negotiations on Tues-
day, but left some of the most
contentious points for Prince
Ranariddh and Prime Mini-
ster Hun Sen to sort out themselves.
“We want to see the new government established sooner, but the leader of one party is playing tricks to stall the process,” Heng Samrin said in a telephone interview.
“The reason the talks have taken two months is because the supreme leader [of Funcinpec] has not been in the country where we could have contacted him and worked out the problems with him,” Heng Samrin said.
Funcinpec officials say Prince Ranariddh is in the US on private business and will return to Phnom Penh on Saturday. Over the past 10 months, Prince Ranariddh has also reportedly traveled to the Philippines, Singapore and various parts of Europe.
On Wednesday, politicians and observers had mixed feelings on the outcome of the parties’
two months of talks, though many expressed cautious optimism.
Funcinpec’s Secretary-General Prince Norodom Sirivudh questioned why “it was not possible” for the CPP to accept some of his party’s remaining key demands. The two sides are “agreeing to disagree” on about half a dozen issues, he said.
Those issues, he said, include demanding that the prime minister and Cabinet present themselves for regular questioning at the National Assembly; judiciary reforms; creation of an Immigration Ministry; resolving border disputes; revising the government’s contract with the AZ company to manage National Route 4; and increasing civil servants’ salaries.
But Prince Sirivudh said he was “still positive and confident” an agreement would be reached.
Of the 73 points on the negotiation table, Funcinpec and the CPP have agreed in principle to 68.
Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker Son Chhay said Tuesday that the government has promised many things in the past, and he was skeptical that the negotiation points would be implemented.
“They never do it,” he said.
Following are some of the summarized points that both sides have accepted after 14 rounds of talks: Eliminate corruption; protect human rights; hold a Khmer Rouge tribunal; the right to strike and demonstrate peacefully; encourage civil society and NGOs; military reform and demobilization; unify the RCAF; train and reintegrate demobilized soldiers; equip the national police with modern technology; cooperate in the international fight against terrorism; an independent, neutral and non-aligned foreign policy; maintain peaceful co-existence with other countries; achieve an economic growth rate of 6 percent to 7 percent annually; strict management of the national budget; promote the agricultural industry; agricultural research and development; the innovative use of raw materials; attempt to resolve maritime border disputes and push for oil research, exploration and production in undisputed territory; re-examine mining licenses; rebuild transport and communication networks; youth education; job creation; promote the status of women; and protect Cambodian heritage.
(Additional reporting by Kim Chan and Nhem Chea Bunly)
