PHNOM PENH, Thursday 15 August 2013 – Cambodia and Germany are pleased with bilateral cooperation and look to expand it for the benefit of Cambodian social development.
In his farewell courtesy call before returning to Germany after three years in the Kingdom, Ambassador Wolfgang Moser shared his view with H. E. Dr Sok An on a range of activities they have worked on together, including APSARA Authority and the Green Belt project in Siem Reap, the Extraordinary Chamber within the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) and mine clearance.
The German Government has been supporting the Green Belt project through the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ).
It is intended to help the people living around Siem Reap city to benefit from the continuous increase in tourism by growing fruits and vegetables to supply the local restaurants and hotels, thus improving their living standards over time.
Both sides are impressed with their achievements, and in October 2012, Berlin pledged another €EUR 4.8 million for the Green Belt project.
Dr. Sok An proposed that consideration be given to expanding the project to include provision of micro-financing at a reasonable interest rate to allow the farmers to gain a quick return on their sales, rather than waiting some months for payment.
The Deputy Prime Minister also suggested that Germany should consider a similar project for social development in Preah Vihear province, where a new eco-global museum and eco-village are in progress.
His Excellency Dr. Sok An, also the Chairman of the Royal Government Task Force on the Khmer Rouge Trials, thanked Berlin for its considerable contribution to the Extraordinary Chamber within the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), in providing more than $3 millions from 2007 to 2013, especially to support victims’ participation.
Concerning the budget shortfall for the national side of the ECCC, which still needs U.S. $3.4 millions of its $9.4 million budget for 2013, Dr. Sok An reiterated that the Cambodian government has to face the reality that it cannot further increase its contribution given the fact that this already exceeds the annual commitment from the national budget to the country’s Supreme Court by 300% and to the Appeal Court by 257%.
From 2006 to 2012, the Cambodian government has already paid $16.9 million (in both cash and kind), making it the third largest donor.
The Deputy Prime Minister said that the financial crisis and increasing age of the few defendants have prompted Cambodia and U.N. to work on solutions including the restructuring of the existing operation of the court, reducing the number of staff as well as recommending judges and prosecutors to speed up their work, while maintaining international standards and due process.
Dr. Sok An also said that Cambodia will team up with the responsible U.N. official to raise funds for the Court and they will leave on 18 August for a fund- raising visit to a number of capitals in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Germany has also been playing a key role in supporting Cambodian humanitarian demining operation. The Ambassador expressed his pleasure with the work of Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC) for clearing number of hectares of landmines, thus contributing to the social development of Cambodia.
In conclusion, Ambassador Moser expressed his deep appreciation for the close cooperation and warm encouragement given to him by the Cambodian officials in these various projects during his mission in Cambodia, which he has greatly enjoyed. End.