Eng/Khmer/Nat Cambodia's Second Prime Minister Hun Sen threatened Wednesday to suspend his co-operation with the United Nations. The U-N last Friday postponed deciding which representatives will fill Cambodia's seat, which means it will stay vacant during the fifty-second General Assembly this week. Hun Sen is locked in a fierce battle with his ousted rival Prince Norodom Ranariddh for the U-N seat and the international legitimacy it would confer on his government. The struggle for power in Cambodia spilled onto the international stage on Wednesday following a U-N decision to have no Cambodian representative at its fifty-second General Assembly. The U-N credentials committee postponed a decision on which representative will fill Cambodia's seat - thus leaving it vacant. The diplomatic confusion comes three months after a coup launched by Hun Sen, which deposed his rival First Prime Minister Prince Norodom Ranariddh. Prince Ranariddh believes the only choice for an end to the chaos in Cambodia is through negotiations. He also welcomed a decision by the International Monetary Fund to suspend some financial aid to Cambodia. SOUNDBITE: (English) "Any funding to the state budget of Phnom Penh will fuel the civil war inside my country and will create more destruction, more suffering to the people of Cambodia. And beside that, the cutting off of the funding from the World Bank and IMF constitutes a real clear signal to Mr Hun Sen that if Mr Hun Sen wants really to, let's say to survive, he doesn't have any choice but to sit down and to talk with us in order to put an end to the present crisis and for instance, a priority for a cease-fire in the country." SUPER CAPTION: Cambodian First Prime Minister Prince Norodom Ranariddh Cambodia's Second Prime Minister Hun Sen - on a private stopover in Paris en route to New York - threatened to suspend co-operation with the U-N. This threat could jeopardise any U-N hopes to play a key role in the Cambodian election due next May. At a press conference organised at the ambassador's residence near the Eiffel Tower, Hun Sen said he was bringing to the U-N a letter signed by King Norodom Sihanouk which presents his credentials as the legitimate ruler of Cambodia. He said he did not understand the position of the U-N. SOUNDBITE (Khmer): "The fact that the United Nations refused the Cambodian delegation to take its rightful seat is not only a violation against the Cambodian government, it is also an offence against the King." SUPER CAPTION: Hun Sen, Second Prime Minister, Cambodia The new Cambodian leader also tried to prove that he was not responsible for the conflict that broke out in his country last July. He blamed his ousted rival Prince Norodom Ranariddh for the "coup" and for the current fighting in Cambodia. Ranariddh was believed to have been very close to signing a peace treaty with the Khmer Rouge - a move which threatened Hun Sen's grip on power - when the coup took place. At the press conference, Hun Sen said he had proof that Ranariddh had been in contact with the Khmer Rouge's nominal leader, Khieu Samphan. SOUNDBITE (Khmer): "Here is a document sent by Khieu Samphan to Norodom Ranariddh on June 26, 1997." SUPER CAPTION: Hun Sen, Second Prime Minister, Cambodia Hun Sen accused Ranariddh of secretly plotting with the Khmer Rouge, but he did not clarify to what end. SOUNDBITE (Khmer): "On June 27th, Norodom Ranariddh had prepared an answer, which is a common statement (typed on a machine because where the Khmer are, there is no computer)." SUPER CAPTION: Hun Sen, Second Prime Minister, Cambodia Hun Sen said that Ranariddh could return to Cambodia and that he would guarantee his safety. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/69ecba0981d8d7ade615859c1faf4b6a Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork

• published: 21 Jul 2015
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