Rainsy looking for talks

[geovalin]

Meas Sokchea and Kevin Ponniah

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy returned to Cambodia in dramatic fashion on Saturday, promising to kickstart top-level negotiations with the ruling party in a bid to solve the worsening political crisis and free eight Cambodia National Rescue Party colleagues from prison.

A meeting between him and Prime Minister Hun Sen, Rainsy intimated, would be the only way to defuse the situation and end the political stalemate. But while expressing a desire for talks to kick off today, a date remains to be set.

Rainsy yesterday spoke directly to Interior Minister Sar Kheng to set up a meeting, he said, with top-level “decisive talks” hopefully starting this week.

“We wish to reach a comprehensive agreement with the CPP,” he said.

“The eight CNRP lawmakers-elect and activists are now in jail because they took part in a protest to ‘free Freedom Park’. Freedom Park has been closed to the public because of previous street violence, which was associated with the government dealing with public anger caused by election irregularities. Election irregularities were made possible by a biased NEC.”

Issues ranging from political violence to freedom of assembly to electoral reform, therefore, must thus be addressed at the same time, he added.

Prum Sokha could not be reached yesterday, but National Assembly spokesman and CPP negotiator Chheang Vun said Rainsy should talk to his deputy, Kem Sokha, before meeting with the premier, to avoid more “controversies”.

In April, Hun Sen announced that he and Rainsy had come to an agreement to resolve the political deadlock only to have it torpedoed by Sokha, who was abroad at the time and whom he painted as a hardliner.

Rainsy later denied that any deal had been struck.

“We want any negotiator with Samdech Techo Hun Sen assigned by the party to dare to be responsible [to make decisions],” Vun said. “Who are we negotiating with? Excellency Sam Rainsy or Excellency Kem Sokha? Or should we let both of them agree together first and then [we] negotiate?”

In response, CNRP spokesman Yim Sovann said Vun should be “taking care of his own party’s affairs” instead of “interfering” in the opposition’s.

On Saturday morning, Rainsy returned to the Kingdom after more than a month abroad. With the party rocked by charges of insurrection laid against its officials after a protest that turned violent at Freedom Park on Tuesday, tens of thousands of supporters came in hope that Rainsy would help to free them.

Leading a parade of supporters into the city, Rainsy stopped outside the Council of Ministers to lay out his plan.

“I come at this time to demand for the release of the Cambodia National Rescue Party lawmakers. All supporters of the [CNRP] who were detained unjustly must be released immediately without any conditions,” he said.

“As all of you know already, the power is only in one individual’s hand. So if [we] want to find a quick resolution that all Khmers can accept, there is only top-level negotiations.”

The crowds, though smaller in size, were evocative of those that came out to greet the party leader on his return from exile before last July’s national election, exactly a year before.

Political analyst Kem Ley said yesterday he foresaw a deal being struck soon.

“The CNRP acknowledges at this time they cannot demand more than their minimum demands . . . If the CNRP tries to demand beyond what the CPP can give, a social uprising will happen. They want to negotiate rather than demonstrate.”

Political commentator Lao Mong Hay said the ruling party had been playing a strategy to wear down the CNRP, with an eye on the next election.

“The more power you have, the more leverage you have . . . So the weaker the [CNRP], the better for the [CPP], considering its low popularity. [The CPP wants] to get the CNRP into the assembly on [its] terms.”

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/rainsy-looking-talks