Group Urges Ratification of Anti-Terror Laws

Representatives from member states of the G-8 economic group met with Prime Minister Hun Sen Wednesday to urge the ratification of 12 counter-terrorism treaties into Cambodian law, em­bassy officials said Thursday.

The joint exercise was spearheaded by the British and Ger­man Embassies in Cambodia, whose ambassadors were present at the meeting held at Hun Sen’s Phnom Penh resisdence.                                    “This is a G-8 initiative but we are making recommendations on pro­cedures,” spokesman for the German Embassy Theophile Ki­dess said Thursday.

“We feel it is very important and understand it was received well by Hun Sen,” he said.

The 12 treaties include international conventions formulated by the UN on a diverse range of counter-terror issues, including, among others, the suppression of the financing of terror, the physical protection of nuclear materials, maritime safety, and the punishment of crimes against internationally-protected persons.

In 2003 the G-8 launched a count­er-terror action group fo­cused on building international po­lit­ical will and coordinating international count­er-terror activities.

Kidess said that Hun Sen reassured the G-8 that the review process of the treaties, which has already been de­layed for several weeks, would be ex­pedited.

“The prime minister claims that there are translation issues in the National Assembly that are holding up the ratification pro­cess,” Kidess said, adding that he ex­pected the ratification process to be completed within two or three months.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was unavailable for comment Thurs­day.

The G-8 member states inlcude Japan, Britain, Germany, France, Canada, Italy, Russia and the US.

 

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