By Press and Quick Reaction Unit of the Office of the
Council of Ministers
PHNOM PENH, 7 Aug. (PRU) – His Excellency William E.
Todd, during a courtesy call on 6 August at the Office of the Council of
Ministers to introduce himself as new U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of
Cambodia, told His Excellency Deputy Prime Minister Sok An that the U.S. was
committed at all levels and stood ready to work with Cambodia in order to strengthen
bilateral relations and cooperation. “Relationship is everything; without it we
have nothing,” said Mr. Todd.
His Excellency Sok An, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister
in charge of the Office of the Council of Ministers, took the opportunity to brief
His Excellency Ambassador on some major issues. First, with regard to the
issues of the Temple of Preah Vihear, he said that Cambodia had a very strong
legal basis for her claim based on the 1962 ruling of the International Court
of Justice (ICJ) and that Cambodia always wished to resolve the issue in a peaceful
and diplomatic manner. He informed H.E. Todd of the ICJ’s provisional measures which
had ordered for a provisional de-militarized zone and of recent redeployment of
Cambodian troops in the area witnessed by military attachés from eleven
embassies and more than 100 local and international media reporters.
The U.S. Ambassador thanked His Excellency Sok An for
the briefing and said the U.S. wishes to ensure peace and stability in the
region and not to take side.
As far as the Extraordinary Chambers within the Courts
of Cambodia is concerned, His Excellency Deputy Prime Minister told H.E. Todd
that it had achieved six world records over the past years and confirmed it was
well on its way to deliver justice to the people of Cambodia. At the same time,
he took the liberty to express some concerns regarding the shortage of funding
for the court.
Mr. Todd replied that the U.S. was pleased with the achievement
and progress of the court. “The U.S. will continue to support the court and
also encourage other countries to make further contributions,” he said.
In the field of cultural heritage His Excellency Sok
An commended the U.S. Embassy and Government for their strong support and close
cooperation in temples' reparation and restoration in Siem Reap province and in
the listing of the Temple of Preah Vihear as world heritage. He also praised
the U.S. for supporting Cambodia’s successful bid for the chairmanship of the
World Heritage Committee (WHC) and Cambodia’s host of WHC meeting next year.
Furthermore, he expressed Cambodia’s gratitude for the U.S. assistance
concerning the return to Cambodia of Duryodhana statue believed to have been
taken away from Cambodia and put on auction by Sotherby’s in the U.S. He added
that legal procedures were in process in the U.S. against the company.
His Excellency Ambassador said the U.S. viewed that
cultural heritage was very important for national identity and that the U.S.
would continue to assist Cambodia in this regard.
H.E. Todd expressed his determination to work closer
with the Cambodian government during his term of mission in Cambodia and his
ideas on how to shape Cambodia’s future based on his many years of experiences
as diplomat. He said people investment, especially education for youth and
healthcare, is crucial in developing the country in the long run. He cited
countries like the Republic of South Korea and Singapore which over the last
30-40 years had been able to do really well and he believed Cambodia could also
be one of them.
Before the meeting was concluded, H.E. Todd invited
His Excellency Deputy Prime Minister Sok An to attend the 50th
anniversary of the launch of USAID and 20th anniversary of USAID presence in
Cambodia. The event will be held at the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh on 22 August
2012. His Excellency Sok An accepted the invitation and is going to deliver
remarks at the event.