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Cambodian parliament chief urges calm between rivals

PHNOM PENH: Cambodian parliamentary chief Chea Sim opened a new session on Friday with a call for the two largest parties to avoid confrontation and threats in the run-up to general elections in 1998.

"Although the 1998 election is the ultimate goal of the political parties, we must not use the present time as a time to start splits, threats and to point accusations at each other and confront each other with possible acts of violence.

"We must remain determined to use the dignified principles of liberal democracy instead in such a competition," said Chea Sim, who was speaking as acting head of state at the opening of the sixth three-month session of the house elected in 1993.

Those U.N.-run elections saw the royalist FUNCINPEC party narrowly edge out the incumbent Cambodian People's Party (CPP), which is led by Chea Sim.

The former enemies agreed to form a coalition to avoid renewed conflict and while the arrangement appears to have worked on the surface, tensions recently surfaced.

Prime Minister Prince Norodom Ranariddh, leader of FUNCINPEC, threatened at a party congress on March 22 to leave the coalition unless the CPP honoured an agreement to give a greater share of power at the district and local level.

CPP said the FUNCINPEC threats had "affected political stability and national reconciliation" and claimed the power sharing pact did not reach district-level.

The two sides met last week and agreed to resolve their differences peacefully, to continue to work together and to avoid violent confrontation, according to a joint statement.

But political analysts expected more arguments as the 1998 polls neared, seeing it as a form of electioneering, while adding that Chea Sim's remarks were aimed at both parties.

"During the present difficult time there is no other alternative for us than to continue to understand each other with tolerance and to join hands with each other in good cooperation," Chea Sim said.

He said political stability and development were essential for the country, which embraced multi-party democracy only after the 1991 U.N.-brokered pact. The Khmer Rouge guerrilla faction continues to shun the democratic process.

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy wrote in The Cambodia Daily paper on Friday that it was vital foreign observers monitor the 1998 polls.

"Cambodia must accept international assistance to ensure the 1998 elections are truly free and fair," wrote Sam Rainsy, who was expelled as an MP last year for criticising the government.-Reuter