King Norodom Sihanouk is planning to leave Phnom Penh for Beijing the week of Nov 11.
The King had already delayed his scheduled medical checkup in Beijing at the request of CPP leaders and in the hope of fostering a spirit of reconciliation among the parties deadlocked in efforts to form a new government.
In a faxed message to the publisher of The Cambodia Daily, King Sihanouk said he would leave Cambodia “about” Nov 11.
One Asean diplomat said Tuesday the planned departure, while for medical reasons, could be a gentle prod to the squabbling parties, which so far have been unable to agree even on a location for a proposed summit.
“Maybe this is the King’s way of saying, ‘Look, guys, you had better get it together and work something out,’ ” the diplomat said.
However, representatives of the CPP and Funcinpec said Tuesday that they did not feel the departure added up to a deadline of any sort.
Once the King leaves, Cambodia will be without a legal head of state unless the National Assembly meets and chooses a president.
But Funcinpec Secretary-General Tol Lah said the King has already suggested he could be an absentee head of state. Tol Lah said Funcinpec has urged the King to hold a summit in Beijing instead of Phnom Penh, where opposition leaders have said they might not be safe.
“Funcinpec has been doing everything not to obstruct the medical treatment of the King,” Tol Lah said.
CPP spokesman Khieu Kanharith said his party would love to have a coalition agreement before the King’s departure. “For us, the sooner, the better, but we have to wait for those on the outside to come back.”
However, he said the ruling party, which has opposed talks outside of Phnom Penh, would not refuse a direct request from the monarch if he decided to call a summit in Beijing after leaving.
“When the King decides on the place and the time, we will never say no to the King,” Khieu Kanharith said.
