TEMPO.CO, Phnom Penh - Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to maintain peace along their border regardless of the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the territorial dispute near Cambodia's Preah Vihear Temple.
Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong told Irina Bokova, Director General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), that Cambodia brought the dispute to the ICJ in April 2011 only to seek a peaceful solution.
The ICJ is expected to announce a decision on who owns the land around the Kuil Preah Vihear temple by the end of this year.
"Whatever decision the ICJ makes, the Cambodian government of Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Thai government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra will abide by the court's decision, and we will maintain friendship, cooperation and serenity along the border," he said.
Bokova expressed her delight in hearing that Cambodia and Thailand agreed to solve the border dispute near Preah Vihear Temple peacefully. She said this peaceful solution was in line with the UNESCO's goal in protecting and conserving world heritage sites everywhere.
Sporadic conflicts between Cambodia and Thailand over the territorial dispute near Preah Vihear Temple broke out after the UNESCO approved the temple as a World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008. Thailand claims the ownership of 4.6 square kilometers of land next to the temple.
Military clashes between the two nations in February and April 2011 occurred during the rule of former Thai prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. Bilateral ties have improved since Yingluck Shinawatra came to power in July 2011.
Bokova is currently in Cambodia to attend the 37th session of the World Heritage Committee, which opened on Sunday and will run until June 27.
XINHUA | NATALIA SANTI
