Laos, Cambodia agree to withdraw troops from disputed border area

VIENTIANE/PHNOM PENH, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith and his visiting Cambodian counterpart Samdech Techo Hun Sen agreed here on Saturday to withdraw their troops from disputed border area between Attapu of Laos and Stung Treng of Cambodia. "Today, we had frank talks in a friendly manner," the Lao state-run news agency KPL quoted Prime Minister Thongloun as telling a joint press conference in the Lao capital of Vientiane.

"In order to restrain the situation in that area from being intensified and consequently developing into military confrontations, I and Prime Minister Hun Sen have agreed that the Lao side will withdraw the remaining troops that have been left there since Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered the stoppage of building an access road in that area," the Lao prime minister said. "I have ordered all relevant forces to withdraw not later than tomorrow morning. Secondly, Prime Minister Hun Sen has ordered the troops that have been built up in that area to make the situation in that area return to normalcy, restoring the belief of the people of our two countries that no undesirable incidents will happen," he added.

Thongloun said that he and Prime Minister Hun Sen also agreed that border committees of the two countries and the Foreign Ministries would continue to have talks to find solutions to issues related to the border, where border markers have yet to be planted, as soon as possible. Speaking at the joint press conference, Hun Sen praised Sisoulith's decision to pull out troops from Cambodian territory, saying that the decision had eased tensions between troops of the two countries.

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